As the Days Float By, Like Clouds in the Sky
by L.A.D. CORP. iNC
Summary: The clouds were free, and she envied them for it, despite the fakeness of their freedom. Naruto xover
1. Chapter 1

28/7/06

Running. Once more she was running. Running from everything because once more, it was suffocating her. And she hated it. She was only human after all; unless that too is another thing she is to be charged against. Dark hair was thrown behind her as the speed she ran pushed the black strands from her face, her blue-gray eyes, darting about, searching, searching for quick blurs that may prove to be obstacles in her escape. There were none.

Kagome Higurashi drew to a stop as she finished crossing a flower-filled meadow and pressed her back to a tall, sturdy tree, panting, meanwhile slowly sinking to her knees. Without the aid of the wind, her hair now flowed forward, getting in her eyes, sticking to her lips. Impatiently, she tossed it behind her shoulder and tucked it behind her ears. As breathing became easier again, she froze. How far had she run? She didn't know. Where was she now? She found she didn't care, she was away, that was all that mattered. Sweat clung to her brow and she hastily wiped it away with the back of her hand, looking up at the sky as she did so. The sky was a beautiful blue, fluffy white clouds drifting across it, shielding the hot sun. How grateful she was. Leaning back, she relished the shade the tree offered, simply watching. Must be nice to be as free as the clouds. It didn't matter that the freedom was fake. Their freedom was but an illusion because they were constantly ushered by the winds, without the breezes, they couldn't move. But still, they were free. Unlike her.

Looking down into her lap, Kagome couldn't help feeling an empty sensation tearing within her. It was like a frequent gnawing in her gut, always reminding her of the missing touch in her life. All this because of that damned jewel. It started it on her 15th birthday. It is still the cause of her suffering after she completed what she felt was her duty with it. No, the shards were still out there, but it was no longer her responsibility. Not when there was another who could fulfill what she was meant to. She was no longer needed, thus, she was cast aside. There were those who thought otherwise, but the truth of it all was as mentioned. She was but a hindrance and she knew it. Despite what she told herself though, it still hurt; it was, regardless of the sugar coating used to supposedly numb the pain, the ultimate betrayal. She knew that there were people who still needed her to be their friend and for that she was reluctant to leave, but, that was only one strike of comfort amongst the multiple lashings.

A strong sense of defiance rose in her chest. Fine, let him have his way. She was determined to not let his decision grieve her any further. It was pointless. It would do her no good to drown herself in self-pity. It would not help her, much less make things better. Perhaps the happenings were a blessing in disguise. She could start anew. Sort of, anyway. She didn't want to return to her time permanently, doing so would admit defeat. No, she would continue to do her part, from afar, and leave trails for them to do theirs. They would never have to meet again. Maybe, just maybe, this would all be for the best.

Her powers suddenly felt a tug. What? Was it a shard? No, someone was coming; her senses had merely picked up on someone's energy signature, warning her. She didn't have the energy to run, nor fight for that matter. She got up and moved behind the tree, hiding herself from view in the dark shadows. Whoever was approaching was human, as far as she could tell, so no worries. She had but to be silent and wait for them to finish their business and leave. Rustling, the person was walking through the grassy meadow. A pause before sounds of the foliage shifting, signifying he or she had sat down, or crouched, or lied down, whatever. Shit, that would mean they might be there for a while. There was silence but for the gentle sounds of the leaves brushing amongst the trees and the distant twittering of birds. And then, it shattered.

"I know you're there. Who are you and what do you want?"

Kagome felt her heart skip a beat, whether in fear or anxiety she didn't know. She chose to ignore the guy the voice proved to belong to and hope that he wasn't addressing her. Even if it couldn't be such a coincidence another person should turn up. Not that she believed in coincidences.

"How troublesome. If you don't want to answer, suit yourself."

The silence then returned. And lasted. Until, that is, it looked like the sun finally chose to start setting, because according to the sounds on the other side of her tree, the guy rose and started to walk away, before all sounds vanished, as did his energy. She waited. How long had she sat there? In all that time, the guy barely even talked to her, much less try to harm her. So, a harmless stranger, perhaps? Who knew. The sun was now disappearing quite quickly, along with the light it offered. Time to move. She stood and stretched; her left foot had fallen asleep. Looking around and seeing no better alternative, she began to walk in the direction she had heard the guy approach, in hopes of finding a village. Soundlessly, a dark-haired shinobi emerged from the shadows at the higher branches of the tree she had previously been sitting under, watching her disappear from his view, wondering who she was. She had not known he was there and that was a point to his advantage as he silently followed above her, careful to continue masking his chakra and aura

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

As she passed through the wide arches she had approached, Kagome couldn't help staring. For a village, it looked…more advanced than the one the Bone Eater's Well is nearby. Walking through, she looked left then right, taking in her new surroundings. After who knew how long, she stopped before what looked like a pawnshop. Finally. Entering, she immediately spotted a rather round man with thinning hair sitting behind a broad counter, leaning back on the two back legs of his chair, apparently asleep. Hmph. Like she was going to take that quietly, what type of business did this guy think he was running! Moving in front of him, she gently rapped the glass counter, only to be stopped after one knock. She looked, faced with her reflection in steely gray eyes.

"What you want, girl?"

Gee, what a welcome. Removing the yellow backpack from her shoulders and setting it on the ground, she rummaged through it quickly before taking out a roll of beautiful silky cloth, a gray that shimmered in the light like silver. Cloth courtesy of Miroku. Zipping the pack again, she set the fabric before the man's greedy gaze. She had originally wanted to save the cloth and bring it back for her mother, who had been looking for some nice material to make a new skirt out of, but this was sort of an emergency. She had money on her, yes, but maybe not enough to get a hotel room. Unless the pricing here was different. Maybe she would be fortunate. Yet, before thanking her lucky stars, she'd try to be safe. Lazily watching the man's greedy eyes going up and down the length of cloth, she could already tell he would trade quite a large sum of money for it. She had to agree the cloth was top notch and definitely first rate. And she definitely agreed that she pitied any woman the guy has ever set his eyes on. She could just picture him salivating over them. Ewww… She mentally gagged and barely stopped the look of disgust that was spreading across her features.

"So," Kagome said casually, "how much will you give me for it?"

The man seemingly just registered her presence since the fabric's appearance.

"You're willing to trade this!"

He scurried about, taking a stack of notes and several chains lined with coins and deposited the load before her. She eyed the pile, trying to decide whether the guy was cheating her. She wouldn't know if he was, would she? She had known the material was expensive; Miroku wouldn't have bothered taking it otherwise, but…how expensive is the true question. She started in surprise as the man added a few notes at a time as he watched her, desperately. He must _really _want the roll of cloth. After he threw his hands up in despair that she might never be satisfied by the amount he was offering, she nodded once and tuned him out as he joyously scooped the pile of money into a red pouch and handed it to her, thanking her over and over. Grabbing the silk and pushing it beside his chair as if he was afraid she would change her mind and call off the exchange, he stood up and made to show her to the door. Kagome shook her head; she was quite capable of finding it, thank you very much.

"But, one more thing please."

"Of course, of course!"

"Where can I find an inn?"

It was almost completely dark outside, the only light coming from the lanterns that lined stores and restaurants or peering from within homes. It really made her feel out of place, walking alone down the emptying streets as she searched for the inn based upon the pawnshop's owner's poor instructions. He must not give directions much. Or, he does but never improves. At long last she stopped in front of a long and wide building, the light illuminating from it casting a cheerful glow into the street. A red lantern hanging outside the doorway told her that she had arrived. She couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief. She couldn't wait to get a room and go out to grab some food. She swiveled around, looking up and down the street behind her. She had been having an uncomfortable feeling for a while now. Like someone had been watching her. You know that feeling, right? Chills, almost, the thing that makes you feel like shivering but you just, can't. She shook her head. Some hot food and a good long sleep would be all she needed; it's been a long day and she must be overly paranoid in the unfamiliar surroundings.

Pushing aside the curtain that covered the doorway, she stepped into the building only to have a warm feeling wash over her. The inn had a very homey feel to it. She was soon greeted by young woman with a dark braid over her shoulder and forest green eyes, and arranged for a room.

"And how long would you be staying, Higurashi-san?"

"Um…"

She randomly fished into the right pocket of her black pants and grabbed a few money notes out, uncertain how long she would be able to stay with the amount but she just didn't feel like digging for that red pouch right now.

"How long can I get with these?"

The woman looked up from…whatever she was doing during her fishing for money.

"Two."

How helpful, that just about cleared everything up for her. Kagome smiled, it's alright, the booking would all be over soon.

"Days?"

"Weeks, Higurashi-san."

She blinked, that was definitely surprising. She hadn't had to do much with the currency for this time period, but, man, things must have seriously changed over the years, way more than she realized. She nodded her consent and was given a key and directed towards the stairs that led to the next floor, where her room would be waiting for her.

The trek up was laborious, who would have thought they would be just as tiring as hiking up a mountain? They definitely looked shorter and less steep from the bottom. The room was simple and spacey, which was nice. There were cream colored walls with a large window set into the one directly across from the door, covered by a sliding paper screen that was open a crack to let a nice breeze float through. A low table was set below it, surrounded by sitting cushions, and displayed a clay teapot with matching cups and saucers on a tray in its center. To the left was a large futon, topped with a pillow, a thin cover, and a much thicker looking black blanket. Next to this she set her yellow backpack after removing her shoes and placing them next to the step that led into her room. Opposite the wall with the futon was a huge wooden chest, the lid propped up, with a sturdy looking lock inside it. She'd remove her things and stuff them in there later. On the left of the chest was a wooden door, which was open, to reveal a considerably smaller room which contained a wooden basin filled with clear water on a metal stand, a metal bar with towels next to it, and a sink next to that. There was also a tub large enough for a really wide person, ready for her to use. Atop the ceiling of both rooms, a prism-shaped lantern hung brightly, illuminated inside by two little flames. Ah well, exploring can come later, first and foremost, the idea of a nice hot meal beckoned her. With that in mind, she took out a jacket from her bag, pulled it over her pink blouse, and replaced her shoes. She debated whether or not to bring her bow and arrows, but decided against it. She didn't know where she was nor the people around her, she wouldn't want them thinking she was out to attack someone now would she? Without covering, her weaponry would look awfully suspicious, which was a definite no-no. Didn't want to draw attention to herself, just act like any ole visitor, yup, that's what she'll do. But she'd bring the shards in that glass bottle buried in her yellow pack. She carefully pocketed in within her blouse and nearly winced. Its energy was leaking a bit. Bet that's what's always attracting demons to her. Well, at least it shielded some of her aura; whatever should come upon her would be unsuspecting of her powers. And that was good, because being inconspicuous is good. This in mind, she left, having already made sure she had a line of coins in her pocket, folded in a few bills.

He waited until the door clicked shut behind her and continued staying in the tree for a few more minutes, for good measure. Sure she wouldn't return, he bounded off, to return home, and to think. That girl, definitely, had something off about her.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hi again! Anyway, I've decided to put my messages here now, in case people don't read the profile (which you all really should, because Daisy and I communicate through there to you all too). So thanks to everyone that read and reviewed my last chapter(s), you know how you are, haha... Really, it really makes me feel all warm and fuzzy... Alright, to the point, I'm really sorry this took me so long, my excuses are declared in the profile, and I really hope you understand that I really wanted to update when I saw the reviews, I just didn't have the chance to write... So please continue reading my story, albeit patiently much to my apologies, and review and I'll talk to you all again soon, hopefully!

L

Placing enough coins to cover her meal and leave a deserving tip on the counter, Kagome slid off the stool and left Ichiraku, sighing contentedly from her delicious meal. Now, if only she can find her way back to the inn in the night's dark, she could have a quick bath and a good long sleep, since, no one would usher her awake early in the morning. Tomorrow, she'll have a break type of day, before starting work. The thought loomed like an ominous cloud in her mind. Damn it, she'll never be at peace properly, at least, not yet, despite the hanyou's absence.

"Hey, hey miss! Wait up, you dropped something!"

See, normally, she would have turned around to see who the guy behind her was addressing. You know, for all she knew, it was her, seeing as the streets looked pretty abandoned at the moment. Since it was night and all. Not like she can blame the people for leaving her alone, in the dark, in an unknown village, with a guy she didn't know that was probably calling for her. But she kept walking. The guy was probably trying to, oh, she didn't know, find an opportunity to pick her pocket or something. So she kept walking.

"Hey! Miss! C'mon, hold up!"

She turned her head, if only to satisfy her curiosity. A few feet behind her, panting, was a guy…man…guy-man that looked to be around her age, probably an age or so older. He had bright yellow hair and a bright orange outfit, one that was so bold, she had to wonder for a second if the guy was color-blind. Then realized he wasn't when she saw his jacket was unzipped to reveal a black tee underneath. If he was colorblind, the tee would be yellow. She shuddered mentally at the thought; he would be spotted miles away. As it was, she had to wonder how he hasn't been jumped yet. He also had a dark blue headband around his forehead, a metal plate in its center displaying some symbol that looked like a spiral in a leaf. What a statement.

"You dropped some money, you know, earlier at the ramen shop."

Kagome fully turned and faced him, with hands folded across her chest, and stared with a small frown at the outstretched hand holding a note of money towards her. Her mind worked furiously, an alarm going off in her head that she ached to shut off and hammer out of existence because it was just _that_ annoying, but couldn't since survival required instincts. What was this, some ploy to get her to take out her money and count so the guy would have an opportunity to grab the cash from her hands? She _so_ doesn't think so. She could feel anger bubbling within her, what was she, an object for people to take advantage of?! First used as a tool only to be cast aside, now, a gullible fool to make money off of?! That was just adding insult to injury, really, salt to the wound does not make it heal faster. But, what if she was just over mistrustful? Because, for all she knew, the people in this unfamiliar village could be different and wants to be unselfish, despite the temptation of a good sum of money. Yeah, right. She knows about as much as most that humans are usually greedy creatures and that there were few exceptions. She couldn't help the thoughts slipping from her mind to form words to leave her lips.

"Right, I'm sure I did, and the second I pull out my money to check, you'll just grab the whole wad and run off, never to be seen again."

Good luck, with an outfit like that, but hey, it's not like she's the fastest runner, despite the practice she's had with demons, and it's not like she isn't cursed with an inhuman clumsiness.

"Wha—huh?"

"Or did you want to grab me and knock me out or something and, uh, ship me off somewhere? Huh?!"

"I wasn't gonna! Really! Just wanted to give you back your money, that's it! Swear!"

He held both hands up as if in surrender and looked like he really wanted to be just about anywhere else but there, but couldn't be since she wouldn't take her cash back. It was actually pretty comical, with the poor boy spluttering about how he would never do anything like that.

"How 'bout if I keep my hands like this? You can see them the whole time while you check if you have anything missing, 'kay?"

Kagome was tired of having to deal with his persistence but gave in and pulled out the line of coins and the bills coating them. Indeed a 50 note was absent from the amount she had left with. She looked up, blushing a little and offered a sheepish smile. The blonde merely grinned back and handed her the bill.

"I'm so sorry, it's just, I didn't know whether or not you were just trying to rob me. I'm really, very sorry…um…"

"Naruto! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! It's alright, no harm done."

Another wide grin. His eyes actually closed so that his mouth took like, half his face for that smile. Cheerful guy. Huh, go figure. She thanked him again with a smile and a small wave and began walking off. Well, she really wanted to get back to her bath and bed, quite understandable really. But he followed her. Or was just walking in the same direction. Nothing but a coincidence, surely. Remember she didn't believe in coincidences though. She turned and eyed him warily. He offered no explanation but for crossing his arms behind his head and continued smiling. What did he want now?!

"Hey, you didn't tell me your name."

Oh.

"I'm Kagome Higurashi."

"Never seen you before."

"Oh, I'm, uh, visiting."

"Really?! From where?!"

"Oh, the village by the Bone Eater's Well."

"Is there really a village called that? Is it in Fire Country? Haven't heard of it."

What the hell? Fire Country? What's that supposed to mean?!

"I'm not…sure."

"What?! How?! You came from it didn't you?!"

"Well, yeah, but it's pretty far away."

"Oh."

Now that it was obvious she must be very far from the well, she started worrying. Where was she?! And the strange place she had come to was probably in a place called Fire Country, whatever that meant. Panic rose in her chest. She felt a few beads of sweat collect as her eyes widened from the thoughts floating about in her head. Distantly she heard Naruto chattering about some unknown topic as he continued walking beside her. She had to get away. She had to get back to her room and think. She had to get back home, or at least to a familiar place, somewhere she knew. But god damn it, _how_?!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Oh my god (blushes profusely)... I just realized how long it has been... I feel really bad for having not updated in so long, but I haven't felt too motivated lately. I don't know, kind of been in a funky mood plus school has been horrible... Anyway, sorry beloved readers and reviewers, I really do apologize for the long wait. I have brought a peace offering! This chapter is _twice_ as long as my usual ones (okay, so maybe it still isn't that long, but I tried?) to make up for this story's temporary hiatus... So a giant umbrella thank you to my reviewers and to everyone here, please read, review, and enjoy!

L

The door behind Kagome closed with a thud, but all she had heard was a dull sound, muffled by her panic. What had budded earlier had now blossomed, and more than not it frightened her. And she hated it. She hated not knowing where she was because it meant she was vulnerable. Vulnerability would put her at a disadvantage of her surroundings; she was like an ant stranded at sea, a stranger in unmarked territory. Very, very bad. She groaned; what a hell of a day…

She finished her bath quickly, not having the state of mind to enjoy the warmth and relaxing atmosphere it usually provided her. She glowered down at her night clothes. They consisted of a huge white t-shirt that reached her knees and cotton bottoms that were beyond long for her. They were a good few inches past her ankles. She felt like as she walked from the bathroom to the futon, the pastel pink fabric helped clean the floor, the way it dragged behind her. With a growl she kicked them off and flung them towards her bright yellow backpack. Gathering up the humongous bundle, she deposited the load into the chest and closed the lid. Although, it wouldn't close completely. It was close enough. She crossed the room bare-footed and crawled in between the futon and its two blankets, taking care to only pull them up to her stomach to only cover her bare legs. Even with the window wide open, the room was stuffy. The breeze outside was soothing and before long, it had lulled her to sleep, the day's events having caught up to her. However, even in her dreams, she was plagued with fear and doubt, turning the dream into a nightmare that she couldn't awake from. It was blurred, but the feeling of dread still resonated within her. As she slept, poor Kagome turned about, sweat dampening her face. Unconsciously she began crying in her sleep, from the grief of the decision made earlier that day, from the loss of her friends, from the drowning, lost feeling she felt. The tears slipped slowly down her cheek, until a shadowy face she could not make out chased away the dream, leaving her in what was barely peace for the night.

He slid the screen door closed behind him as quietly as he could and breathed a sigh of relief when no one peered around the corner. Maybe they were asleep. It was too troublesome to over think the situation. He rounded into the next room and what do you know…

"NARA SHIKAMARU, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

Oh, for the love of god… He mentally sighed and gazed at the woman with half-lidded eyes. All he wanted was a simple meal and to lie in bed, is that too much to ask?

"Well, since you were out late, we already ate. We left you some mackerel on the counter. And thanks for volunteering to do the dishes tonight."

She smiled before climbing up some stairs to the next landing, sending him a slight wave of good night. He turned and eyed the kitchen. True to her words, his mother had left a shallow dish with a generous portion of grilled mackerel on the counter, garnished with indecipherable herbs, and a bowl of white rice that was still partially warm. On the other end of the room, the sink glared at him with a vengeance, its gaping mouth piled with dishes and pans. Aw man…

With soap suds still clinging to the side of his face, he tossed the dish towel randomly somewhere onto the counter and gruffly wiped the back of his hand across his cheek. Trudging up the stairs, he blindly groped his way along the wall down the dark hallway into his room. His mother hadn't even thought to leave the lights on long enough for him to make his way to bed. He would have turned it on, but that would mean having to go turn it off again…which was a complete waste of energy as he had made it to the doorway of his room already. He shrugged out of his uniform vest and pulled off his shirt, feeling the bed dip under his weight when he sat down to take off his shoes. The closet seemed so far away… He looked down at his hands, hanging between his legs. Screw getting a nightshirt, it was a warm night anyway. He turned and half rolled onto his back on the bed, arms crossed behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Right, where was he? And no, he knew he was in his room, he meant… Forget it; it was a waste of mental energy explaining. His brow creased and he closed his eyes, focusing on what he knew. Wise shinobi always knew their surroundings, which included the people in them. Someone new had just emerged in his, and he needed to know who and why.

Eyelids heavy from drowsiness only allowed him to open them partly, but he managed to continue staring at the ceiling overhead, like it held all the answers to his questions. He could picture her face, framed with hair seemingly spun out of the night and eyes that looked as if they had stolen the blue out of the sky in the midst of a storm. Kagome, huh? He remembered the peculiar edge her aura had, from being so…pure. A defense perhaps? Or possibly a power source? She didn't have a forehead protector, so if it was her chakra, it should be lower than it was due to lack of need and use. Which meant that the energy was utilized since it was relatively high. But for what? With every conclusion he drew, more questions developed. If she employed the energy, she must be able to manipulate chakra. But without a hitaiite, she was not officially a ninja. No one to attack her and no one for her to target. So what was the reason for that energy?!

He turned and blew out the candle on the side drawer next to him and while the room plunged into darkness, he wondered if she was really a harmless passerby of the village. Perhaps tomorrow he would get some answers. Having just returned a few days from a successful B-classed mission, he was allowed a reprieve from missions; that is until the next time he would be needed. He could properly catch up on sleep, at least. He shifted an arm from under his head and draped it over his side. It was too tiresome to continue thinking when it was obvious he couldn't conclude anything. With that he drifted into sleep, the blanket kicked off the bed sometime in the night.

She couldn't tell what had awoken her. Was it the sun that spilled through her open window or the hard floor she was on? Somehow Kagome could not remember rolling off the futon last night and curling in a semicircle upon the polished wood. She pushed herself to her feet and yawned, rubbing her eyes with one hand. They felt crusty to the touch. The dream, although not as vivid, still rang inside her and she shivered slightly. But, the day was new; all that was in the past now. She stretched and went into the bathroom to wash up.

There was a knock on the door and when she opened it, toothbrush still dangling from her lips, she was face to face with the dark-haired, green-eyed woman from the front, smiling and bearing a tray with a large steaming pot of —what she assumed was—tea and a plate of assorted tea cakes.

"Good morning, Higurashi-san."

"'Morngh."

Kagome stepped to the side, allowing the woman to enter. She ran into the bathroom and spat and rinsed, depositing her toothbrush too, of course, before coming out to see that the woman was kneeling before the low table and had poured some of the steaming liquid from the big pot into the smaller one that she had seen the night before. She placed the large pot at the side of the table along with the plate of sweets before standing carefully, holding the tray flat along her thighs, and bowed.

"Tea to start the day, Higurashi-san."

"Call me Kagome."

The woman looked up and smiled. She didn't really look that old, honestly. A good few years older than herself at the most.

"And I am Chieko."

Kagome made a small bow and smiled.

"If there is nothing else you'd need, I'll take my leave."

She made it as far as the door before turning.

"Oh, Kagome, you'll be staying a while, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

"You'll need to set up temporary residence papers with the Hokage later. Stop at the counter when you're finished, I'll give you directions."

"Thanks, I will."

The click of a door closing. Kagome stared down at the low table and adjusted one of the cushions, kneeled down, and eyed the steaming teapot. She took a cup and poured some of the tea in, sniffing it experimentally. It was really fragrant. She picked up the cup with both hands and turned it three times, sipped, and let the flavor linger for a second or two more than necessary before swallowing. It had a really delicate taste, like that of jasmine and possibly some other flower. She turned it back three times in the opposite direction and set it down and chose a tea cake, biting the corner tentatively. She couldn't help smiling and let out a small giggle. Red bean and chestnuts, sweet, but not too sweet, great with tea and breakfast. It wasn't long before she finished nearly half of the cakes and a small pots worth of the tea. Feeling full finally, she stood and stretched again, changed into a white blouse and jean shorts and slipped on her shoes. Grabbing the little bottle of shards from under her pillow, she stuffed it down the front of her shirt, where she had sewn in a small pocket for secrecy's sake. Once more she decided to forego her weaponry and with a last look at her room, left.

Ah, if all stairs only went down. The trip felt so much more effortless compared to the one the night before. Emerging from the stairwell, Kagome froze in her tracks, a familiar person stood in front of the counter she was heading towards, the color of his clothes blaring as if to signal people from the next village. You had got to be kidding her…

Shikamaru groaned, shifting and dragging his pillow in his wake, covering his head with it in hopes of coaxing the sun back into its nightly inactivity. He just wanted to sleep in. He had no work anyway. Memories of the girl nagged him in the back of his mind, but he roughly smoldered them by further pressing the pillow into his head. No girl was worth getting up early for. The permeating sunlight warmly caressed him. Scowling he sat up and stared blankly at the wall opposite him. Either that girl was more important than he'd originally thought or he should've made the effort to put on a shirt last night.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hello loyal readers! Wow, this has got to be the fastest I have ever updated... Anyways, I'll keep this short (Pft, you're all probably like "Yeah right, she can _never_ keep her notes short"), I just want to thank all my reviewers, you guys were the main reason I got this out so quickly... Honestly, I'm really grateful to you all, I love hearing from you, helps me out of my slack-mode and encourages me to write so I won't disappoint you...

On that note, special thanks to **Natsumi Tsuchi-Ookami** for feeding an idea to the bunny of this chapter. Thanks to all my reviewers and if you would like to feed the bunny of the next chapter, drop me a review; my bunnies feed and latch onto all inspiration. Now to my reviewers and readers, without further ramblings from me, I present chappy 5. Please, read, review, and enjoy!

L

"Aw, that wasn't that bad was it?"

Kagome glanced at her companion's laidback form, seemingly skipping beside her as they emerged from the tower that she had had to go to acquire her temporary residency papers approved by the Hokage. Unlike what she had expected, the Hokage had been a woman that may have sounded loud and intimidating but was really somewhat friendly. Frankly, she looked like she was only on the verge of shouting due to Naruto. He had shown up at the inn in the morning and had offered to take her to get her forms set straight, saying that there was nothing to do anymore anyways. Contrary to what he thought, she had actually been really tense during the questioning for her papers. Coming up with a suitable story without giving away her life was harder than she had expected. Luckily, Tsunade had recognized the village she talked about having known that a peculiarly potent healing herb grew in that region. Kagome had ended up saying that she was on a backpacking trip to find stories she planned on merging into a book. It was kind of true, anyway…if she had been her grandfather. The older woman had smiled (after giving her a strange look) and explained that the village she had arrived in was probably not one she knew of because the community was hidden from the outside world, and also her travels will probably lead her to similar places. When questioned why, the Hokage merely stamped her papers, handed it to another woman to file, and dismissed her and Naruto with a wish of luck and a colorful vocabulary she never knew existed directed at the blonde boy.

"Say Kagome, why are you into writing anyways? Of all things it's so BORING. You should be a ninja, like me!"

She sent him a questioning glance.

"Oh?"

The ends of the headband he wore fluttered behind him, like Kirara's tails. She hurriedly pushed the thought away as a wave of guilt surged within her. She listened absentmindedly as Naruto talked, trying to dismiss the nagging feeling that something was not right and something bad would happen…soon.

Tsunade frowned, and propped her chin up in her left hand while tapping on her desk with the fingers of her right. That girl didn't bode well with her. Kagome, was it? There was a lot she left out in her story. That was all it was, a story, a far cry from the truth. Well, at least Naruto was with her. He'll keep an eye on her, no doubt. Dumb as he acts, he knows how to be wary when need be.

"So Kagome, what are you going to do now?"

She shrugged and looked at the mountains that surrounded a part of the village.

"Not sure, I'll be staying around for a bit though."

That was true, she supposed. She really didn't know what she'll be doing. She had absolutely no clue whatsoever where to start her independent search; she had been hoping a pull of a shard would help solve the problem any moment now. Seriously, any moment now…any moment… The blonde gave her a cheeky grin.

"Let's go grab something to eat!"

And before Kagome could protest, not that she really would have, seeing as she didn't like conflict, she was dragged off by an energetic bundle of orange and black, topped with golden spikes.

Kagome gave a small gasp of surprise the moment they stepped through the threshold of Ichiraku. There, sitting at a stool at the counter, was a somewhat tall and lanky teen. Dark hair was tied up in a spiky ponytail, an olive-colored vest was worn over dark clothes, and his back was turned to them. Kagome swore she had never seen the guy before in her life, yet something, something about him was familiar.

"OI! Shikamaru!"

The person turned and stared at them. He squinted and Kagome realized belatedly that the sun hitting their backs made them a shadowy blob to him. She gave a tug at her wrist, which Naruto still held, and was led into the ramen stand quite enthusiastically.

"What now, Naruto?"

The blonde responded by plopping heavily down into the stool besides him, dragging Kagome slightly into his lap so she half stood, leaning against him. She tried not to blush, not remembering how long it has been since she'd had last had such…compromising contact. To Naruto's credit, he didn't notice.

"Listen! This is Kagome! She's visiting!"

The person, identified as Shikamaru, turned guarded eyes at her, and…well, nothing. No smile, no widening of eyes, absolutely no signs of recognition. Maybe she just missed her friends a little too much.

"Um, hi…"

He gave her a curt nod and turned back to his steaming cup of tea. Naruto frowned.

"Hey! Aren't you even going to introduce yourself?!"

Shikamaru sighed, grumbled incoherently, stood, and pushed his stool back in. Kagome watched wordlessly as he sauntered to the doorway, hands shoved deeply into his pockets. Right when he was about to step out, the young man surprised her when he lifted a hand in a simple gesture of farewell, and slowly walked out of her sight. He didn't turn back to face her once. Naruto continued frowning, his face scrunching up

"Don't mind him; he's probably just grumpy the sun made it up in the morning again."

She shifted and sat down in a seat next to him, unconsciously smoothing out her blouse and feeling the cold glass of the container when she adjusted her collar. The familiarity was comforting. The soft tugging at her senses reminded her of how she had lost her freedom, her life. It was comforting to be reminded that she was still a girl on a mission. It was comforting to know she still had a purpose, because…because…it meant she was still needed, that being cast aside for _Kikyo_ held no significance… Then, then, the tugging intensified and she determinedly sprang into action. Well, got ready to, anyway.

"Where you going, Kagome-chan? We haven't eaten yet!"

"Sorry Naruto-san! I have to go!"

By the time the blonde managed to stand, push through the huge crowd that (conveniently) appeared out of no where, literally, and made it to the dusty street outside, the young woman had completely vanished.

Kagome ran straight towards the clearing from yesterday —funny how it felt more like _months_ since she'd last been there— only to run clear past it again. The urgency she felt to reach the shard that called to her easily overpowered the burning in her lungs and the pain that shot up her legs with each pound her feet made upon the ground. Her worth, her purpose, rode upon finding that shard. She skidded to a halt; realization washing over her like the freezing water of Antarctica. Tch, great, her _worth_? Her _purpose_?! Oh, hell no. That was just _screwed _UP. Her face clearly showed her mortification as she brought shaking hands up to her wide, shocked eyes. No way, no way in _HELL_ would Kagome Higurashi be measured by her ability to collect shards.

Her lips tightened into a thin line as those very hands clenched into firm fists. Only a shard-collector, huh? The bastard… Still, it was her duty, and she'd fulfill it. But it was only for herself, only to complete the unfinished. Not for worth, not for purpose… She smiled wistfully, really, where on earth had those pathetic excuses for thoughts come from? Those sick ideas to pull forth the adrenaline she needed… With an internal sigh, she looked up at the idly drifting clouds and set off on a light trot, letting the floating bits of fluff and shard's energy guide her to her destination. Inuyasha and Kikyo, her past with them, all was even further behind her than it was before, and for that she was thankful. Perhaps the freedom of the clouds isn't entirely fake…

Her search revealed to her a towering demon that looked like it had the head of a crow and the body of a feathery man. Okay, so maybe it led her to the demon's back, but it was still the demon. As if her thundering through the forest had not alerted it of her presence —yeah right— her yelp of surprise obviously did. It turned around and Kagome's eyes locked with ruby, blood-thirsty orbs. Upon closer inspection, the plume-covered being showed that it wasn't so much that the crow-headed demon had the body of a man covered in feathers, it was a huge crow demon standing tall and held its wings to its side like one would arms. Perhaps the fact it was missing a tail threw her off.

Instinctively, Kagome reached behind her for her bow and arrows. The effect was instantaneous: her hands had passed through thin air and she fell into a panicked state of mind where the logical reason to stick her hands in front of her and blast the damn thing into a feathery oblivion was nonexistent.

The demon grinned, as much as one can grin with a big black beak anyway, and stalked forward, wings lifting at an angle. It gave a couple of strong flaps, sending a large gust of wind in her direction, and forcing her to cross her arms in front of her to protect her face as she was thrown back slightly. She ignored the stinging of raw skin, and lowered her arms, looking left to right frantically in hopes of finding the demon that had miraculously disappeared. No such luck. The shriek that was torn from her lips could not be helped as she narrowly ducked the swipe of deathly sharp talons that came from above, escaping them so that they didn't take off her head. They did nick her pretty well in the shoulder. The metallic scent disgusted her as it filled her nostrils; it filled the demon with glee.

"Shards, I see. What a _lovely_ surprise. A meal and shards? All for _me_? You _shouldn't have_."

Kagome looked down her front, aghast. Not only had creature cut her shoulder, its talons had also torn her blouse clear off one shoulder, the pocket keeping the bottle of shards against her chest ripping and dropping the precious fragments of the jewel. Shit! That's it, if she survives this, she's definitely keeping them in her bra from now on. She leaped back, not chancing reaching for them as the crow swooped down, claws outstretched to grab the bottle. Desperate, she collected her energy to a small barrier and willed it to surround the shards, repelling the demon at the last minute with a nauseating sizzling and the horrid scent of scorched flesh.

Cursed bird was unfortunately not deterred in the least. Instead, it opted to twist its head in her direction with a hungry gleam in its eyes. With a strange fascination, she stared into the bloody orbs, at her reflection. Kagome found her mirrored image looked oddly frightened. It was strange because the fear the image showed was in no way comparable to how she felt, which had to be a hundred times stronger.

"Of course, of course… Little pretty wants to play a game, yes?"

She cringed at the twisted words, her stomach tying itself into knots at the sick voice. It was playing with her, the way a cat might bat a mouse around just to see it squeak and squirm in terror before eating it. Oh, god, bad comparison, very bad… Her energies were not cooperating, refused to form another sphere in her hands, couldn't defend herself… The demon stalked forward, slowly gathering speed… The skin that had been burned off on one side peeling off like old paint… She heard a loud scream as if from afar, unconscious of the detail that it was _her_ screaming bloody murder, as the demon lunged at her.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hi everyone, thanks for bearing with me (she says, embarassed to an empty crowd, having been sure she lost her readers with the long wait...) So here's the latest installment for my story! Um, to clear up a couple of commonly asked questions: YES, I do know what my pairing is and YES, this is absolutely, positively, undeniably, a Shikamaru/Kagome Fic. I would have answered that sooner, but I was toying with the idea of adding Naruto in there...but decided against it.

Also, special thanks to the following reviewers: **Karasu Hokori**, **Natsumi Tsuchi-Ookami**, and **Tsuki Kagami** for their ideas! I know I didn't use all of them, since some of them seem to conflict or I had planned to develop further into the plot, but I appreciate it all the same. I used your ideas to come up with something I hoped would be unpredictable too, based on your reactions to the previous chapter :) Thank you to all my other readers and reviewers, please pardon my delay: Read, Review, and Enjoy!

L

Kagome brought her hands up before her, much like she did earlier, in preparation for the killer blow. Her eyes screwed shut, blocking out the image of the demon's face, laughing at her futile attempt to protect herself. She expected to feel its razor sharp talons, the pierce of its deadly claws.

It never came.

There was the soft _swoosh_ of something being thrown at an incredibly fast speed. Warm liquid splattered onto her arms, sliding down her wrists. Kagome cautiously opened her eyes, peering slowly over the top of her arms. Three kunai were wedged in the crow's flesh, completely sheathed in its body: in the chest, in the neck, and in between its eyes. She held back another scream upon noticing its talons were within an inch of her.

A gross gurgling came from the demon as its blood flowed, pouring the crimson in large globs to stain the earth. Then, it toppled over. Just keeled over, just like that. Her knees, as if finally registering they should do something, gave out under her and she slid to the ground, each leg bent flat against the dirt on each side of her. Saved…barely.

"Th-thank you."

Her voice was soft and shaky but the surroundings were unnaturally quiet, leaving no doubt that the person who helped her heard her. Kagome rubbed a trembling hand up and down her leg, trying to get feeling back in them as she watched the demon deteriorate into bones followed by dust, the glinting pink of a shard winking in the sun. Right where a kunai had stabbed it, under which it was still pinned.

She absentmindedly stretched out her senses but felt nothing. Had the person left already?

"You saved my life!"

She felt a little bolder now, lending strength to her call. For a moment, right when she noticed the demon would attack, she had thought, had feared that out of nowhere Inuyasha might have emerged to save her… It had sent chills up her spine no faces of death ever could. Her friends, her makeshift family, resurfacing right when she had managed, barely so, to justify her actions, to reassure herself…that, maybe, just maybe, it is all for the best, for them and her.

Suddenly, as if it had just fallen out of the sky, an olive-green flak jacket landed on her, partially down her front and pooling in her lap. She blinked at it, confused, and a soft smile slowly spread across her features. His name was Shikamaru, wasn't it? She tried stretching her senses again but still felt only the plant life around her.

"Thank you, Shikamaru-san!"

Then, for a second, she thought she felt a flicker of an aura directly in the tree slightly towards her right. It was just a quick spike in the quiet, dark and soft like a shadow, yet not malevolent. It felt like the aura of the one that had spoken but a few sentences to her the afternoon before. It was probably her imagination, the tiny flare vanishing twice as fast as it was there. She was probably just feeling tired… She smiled in that direction none the less.

Shikamaru continued watching Kagome from his perch in the tree, his half-lidded eyes trained on her lithe form as she stood on wobbly legs. One of his own dangled from the thick branch while the other was bent up slightly against his chest. An elbow was propped on the bent leg, his chin tucked in that hand. His uniform vest was missing from his back and embraced the half naked body of yet another troublesome woman.

Kagome tentatively stretched, riding off the aftershock of being attacked by that demon. She couldn't completely rid herself of the small smile that continued to stray across her lips every time she looked down and saw the off green of the vest that hugged her form. Walking towards the pile of dust that had long been blown away, she picked out the shard from the trampled grass and added it to the glass bottle nearby.

Both looked up in shock when a thunderous war cry tore through the peaceful silence.

"HAND OVER THE SHARDS, DEMON!"

An odd…man?…burst forth from the wall of trees opposite of the fallen young woman. He was clad entirely in a puffy red outfit and had long silvery hair. It was an even finer silver compared to Kakashi's hair Shikamaru mused, trying to store as much information about the —erm— man as he could. He hesitated greatly because of the two pointed silver ears that were perched atop his head, twitching occasionally at what were most likely random sounds in the forest. The jounin eyed the battered blade at the stranger's hip warily, the gears in his mind running furiously. What use was a rusted sword?

By the time he registered the surprise on the newcomer's face more people had emerged behind him, the majority looking more than grumpy. A woman who looked remarkably like Kagome was carrying a long bow and was dressed in the traditional garb of a priestess. A monk (with _hair_?!) carrying a golden staff and a woman wearing a skin-tight black outfit armed in pink armor rode atop…was that a relative of the Kyuubi? Finally, if he squinted, it seemed that the woman on the flaming tiger was holding a small, orange-haired child. Somehow he wasn't too surprised when he saw the child had a bushy peach colored tail attached to him.

Shikamaru frowned slightly. If all these people were after Kagome, he would undoubtedly have to step in. As it was, she was more than outnumbered. His scowl deepened at the giant boomerang strapped to the woman in black. That thing was obviously heavy, seeing as it easily showed as being made of bone. By the looks of it, it would be the most dangerous weapon the group had.

"Ka-Kagome?!"

Kagome brought wide-eyes up to look at the shocked hanyou that stood in front of her. She didn't have the heart to look at the group behind him. The astonishment on Inuyasha's face, however, soon gave way to anger, and…betrayal?

"Where the hell have you been?! And what the hell are you—"

Whatever he meant to ask after that was drowned out by other calls to her.

"Kagome!!"

"Kagome-chan!"

Four figures rushed at her, Miroku and Sango stopping at either side of her while Shippo and a shrunken Kirara simply plowed into her, tackling her to the ground. Kagome instinctively opened arms to catch the two, hugging them to herself tightly. She heard as if from a distance Miroku and Sango fuss over the scratches she had attained and the dried blood that had caked on her. Never before has she felt so torn between the joy of seeing her friends and the guilt of having left them. They still cared for her, still…loved her…

"What happened? You look horrible! Kirara, we need to get her back to Kaede's…"

"The wound on her shoulder looks pretty deep; we should at least clean it …"

"Why'd you leave Kagome?! Don't you care for us any more?!"

"Not now Shippo, we ought to get her back so Kaede can bandage her shoulder."

"Maybe to the well, the medicine from her time is much more effective."

Kagome watched Miroku and Sango argue over her and Shippo clutch her blouse in a strong grip she didn't know he had. Shippo's words rang in her head over and over again…and the guilt crushed her more than ever.

"SHUT UP!!"

The three of them immediately whipped their heads around and stared at Inuyasha, teeth bared in anger.

"Get away from her! She LEFT us! Keh, she was probably helping Naraku collect the shards behind our backs all along and now that we're close to finishing, she RAN OFF with them!"

"Don't you DARE Inuyasha!"

The group snapped their attention to the petite woman. Kagome didn't even seem to believe her own voice; she looked horrified at her outburst, yet she got over it quickly and glared at the hanyou with all her might.

"Don't you _dare_ pin this on me…"

Before anything else could be said, an arrow buried itself into the ground at their feet. Miroku and Sango had to leap away as it dug into the earth they had previously been standing on in front of Kagome.

Kagome, in turn, shifted her glare to the dead miko that know stood next to Inuyasha, bow steadied before her and arm still poised in the release of the arrow she had just shot. She smirked inwardly, didn't want her to be here did she? Not that Kikyo should care; the idiot Inuyasha was evidently holding her in more esteem than Kagome. That bastard, how dare he?! She didn't care, she _won't_ care. He can have Kikyo. Kagome smiled at the pair. They looked taken aback. Yeah well, they deserved each other. Sango grabbed her elbow suddenly, making her jump slightly and turn to her, confused.

"Come on Kagome-chan, we'll fly you to Kaede's hut."

Shikamaru continued his quiet observation of the unfolding scenes below. Apparently she had friends in that group…and enemies. His eyes hardened. There was something terribly wrong about the woman in the miko robes. She felt…inhuman. Mind you, the man in red Kagome had called Inuyasha was definitely not human, yet that woman felt even _more_ so. Not human, he meant, despite her appearance.

He had resisted the temptation to jump for Kagome when he had seen that woman draw an arrow, the intentions clear. He had stayed in the tree when it was obvious she wouldn't be hit and rather tried (and failed) to figure out what reason there was for Kagome to smile at a time like this.

"It's alright Sango, Miroku…"

Kagome smiled down to the kit in her arms and the demonic kitten he held.

"…Shippo, Kirara… I'm fine, really."

She deposited the protesting Shippo into Sango's arms wordlessly, her face impassive. Sango watched the young woman, face unreadable as well.

"I'm sorry."

Kagome's eyes shone in the light; still, she beamed at her friends, and, for a short second, Sango thought she saw a fleck of her friend's tears in the air as Kagome turned to Inuyasha and Kikyo again.

"I really don't have the time for you two, you know."

"Keh! Just hand over the shards wench, don't think I would hesitate to take them from you."

Although, Kagome noted with a sad satisfaction, that there had been a slight hesitation in his voice, for a fraction of a second.

"Like hell I would."

She didn't know what came over her. She had intended to give him the shards she collected, honest. That had been her plan, hadn't it? To still help with the search, the fight, from a distance? But she knew. Kagome eyed Inuyasha coldly. She had been angry, despite her self assurances. She was _still_ angry. He still had no idea what he had done to her.

The hanyou's eyes had widened and he was essentially growling at her, flexing his claws. Either he was having serious trouble restraining himself or he was about to lunge. He swore loudly and had started running forward to grab for the young miko but—

—she soared backwards effortlessly out of harm's way. She landed lightly at the tree line that had been behind her…a good eight meters in distance. Everyone stared in shock and confusion. How can Kagome leap backwards like that?! Miroku and Sango, both of whom had tried to rush in front of her stood in quiet surprise and slowly lowered their weaponry; Inuyasha had frozen in his tracks; Kikyo still maintained an emotionless face; and Kagome looked around wildly, shocked and scared herself, but finally settled her gaze for a few brief seconds at the tree she had felt the aura spike earlier.

Shikamaru… She knew that he was responsible. There was no way she could have done that on her own.

Shikamaru released a breath he hadn't known he was holding, relaxing the grip he had on his hands and letting his fingers drop from the position they had been in to possess Kagome's shadow. Luckily he had been in the trees, their shadows lending him the access to reach hers. Why didn't she run?! He got her out, yet she hadn't learned her lesson! Standing there facing the group still… He groaned inwardly… Damn.

"Kagome-chan, how did you…?"

Sango watched her friend closely. It was impossible, Kagome couldn't have been controlled by something, her purification powers would never let anything evil near her… Nonetheless, she knew that the young miko was incapable of a feat such as the one she just pulled.

Instead of answering the hanging question, Kagome's face contorted into anxiety and she let out a squeak of surprise, her body moving once more of its own accord…or Shikamaru's will. She was forced back into a tree, crouching delicately on a thick bough well away from the group. What was that guy doing?!

She was saved the aggravation of figuring out his motives for playing puppeteer when she saw that Inuyasha had, in her moment of confusion, tried to make a grab at her again. The hanyou now stared up at her from where she had stood seconds before, glaring daggers and flexing lethal claws.

"STUPID WENCH! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE OR I SWEAR I'LL COME UP!"

Before she could respond, the group below felt their vision getting obscured by dark clouds of smoke. The shadow of another person could vaguely be made out appearing beside the miko, and together they vanished. By the time the smoke screen cleared, they were long gone, their scent even covered by the smoke.

Kagome glanced at the arm wrapped around her waist before looking down and stifled a scream upon realization that she was really, really, _really_ quite high up in the air. There was the occasional step and bounce off of a branch, the way Inuyasha had ran with her, but this time not only was she not safe on someone's back, she had to keep up. Thank god she was light…she hoped.

"Please say you're not always danger-prone."

She huffed, but laughed soon after; she was grateful for the fact he had helped her.

"Thanks Shikamaru-san."

He said nothing reply, but shook his head a little to the left in what she took was a dismissive gesture. She quieted, seeing the grim expression was, to say the least, unnerving.

"Is something wrong?"

She thought he wouldn't answer, assumed that he simply didn't like the fact her friends seemed to have attacked her or was maybe annoyed at having to rescue her.

"Stop tacking honorifics to my name. You make me sound prematurely old and I am not in the mood to feel like dropping dead anytime soon."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Two words: School started. Sorry, but you know what that means? Slow, but maybe increasingly longer, updates. Thanks nonetheless to all my readers and reviewers! I hope you all stick around!

Special thanks to **madmiko** and **Natsumi Tsuchi-Ookami** for your wonderful reviews! They really got me going, the responses to the last chapter. I hope this chapter meets your expectations, this one is dedicated to the both of you :)

L

The taijiya whipped around in frantic circles, fear gripping her heart at her friend's disappearance yet relieved that she had at least avoided harm for now. Anger blazed in her deep brown eyes, limitless _rage_ at the stunt Kikyo and Inuyasha had just pulled.

"_YOU_!"

Sango pointed a shaking finger at the emotionless miko; Kikyo simply swung her bow back over her shoulder.

"_How DARE you_! If you had hurt her, I _swear_ you would be _back in hell_."

A figure clad in red instantly sprang in front of the priestess, teeth bared.

"What the hell's the matter with you?!"

The offending finger shifted to the silver-haired hanyou, Sango positively shaking from her repressed fury now.

"AND _YOU_! Don't even get me _started _on_ YOU_! IF YOU HAD EVEN HURT _A HAIR_ ON KAGOME'S HEAD…!"

She had lunged. Somewhere in the midst of her leap, Hiraikotsu had been freed from the strap that tied it to her. Sango proceeded to throw it expertly, her preferred weapon leaving her hand spinning quickly and gleaming in the descending sun's light.

Inuyasha turned and grabbed Kikyo, leaping away from the boomerang's path not a second too late, the wind it whipped up from its speed knocking him into the ground. The clouds of dust he made effectively hid the flash of hurt that crossed his features.

"Are you crazy?! You could have killed us!"

"A MIGHTY BLESSING TO MANKIND!"

Sango jumped back onto her feet from the crouch she had landed in, aiming to draw the short sword at her side, but stopped, glaring at the golden staff that blocked her from continuing her short attack.

"What do you think you're doing?! You _SAW_ what they did to Kagome! _MOVE_!"

Miroku calmly refused without turning to face her, glaring, rather, at the bristling hanyou and Kikyo.

"What _were_ you two thinking?"

"Yeah Inuyasha! Were you _trying_ to keep Kagome away forever?!"

Inuyasha stifled the urge to run forward and punch the monk and throttle the young kitsune on his companion's shoulder. Had he not made it perfectly clear?! Kagome had run away from them! And she wouldn't return the shards to them, where the pieces of the Shikon _rightfully_ belonged!

So Kikyo shot at her, he admitted that the action had been uncalled for at the time, but she wouldn't have had to if Kagome did not _betray them to start with_. Kikyo had seen the wench's true face, before they all did, and had simply taken on the responsibility of trying to force the shards out of her. While they were overcome by hesitation, a STUPID moment of weakness, Kikyo had not been blinded by Kagome's act. He did the right thing, trying to reclaim them! Didn't he?! But instead of thanking him and seeing the wench for the two-faced wretch she really was, they _turn on him_?!

Miroku looked as if he could read all the thoughts that were running in the hanyou's head, frowning as he watched his friend's face contort in a myriad of expressions. Sango could not help but slap the staff away from her body impatiently. She could take them on with or without his help. She wasn't going to stand the jerk any longer.

Before either of them could say or do anything else, a cold voice broke into the tension, disdain dripping from every word.

"I'll be leaving."

With that, Kikyo promptly turned and walked into the forest behind her, not once offering an excuse as to her behavior.

"Don't you turn your back on _me_!"

Miroku having been a little too distracted to stop her again, or had chosen not to, ended up allowing Sango to seize the opportunity to unsheathe her wakizashi. With an unnatural speed, she charged at the revived miko, short sword raised, only for the blade to be caught and held in the tight grip of clawed fingers.

Inuyasha stared unflinchingly into the chocolate eyes of the taijiya, the blade biting into his palm, his blood flowing freely along the sharp edge and down to the forest floor. She gave a growl of frustration and let go of its hilt, swiping at him like one would in the form of a hook, though her fist did not collide with his jaw. Rather, it passed his face by a large width and she released the hidden dagger she had concealed in her sleeve, the dagger snapping out of her gauntlet like a snake that had decided to strike. This too he caught, letting it cut into his other hand.

He threw both weapons callously to the ground, Sango crashing down with her dagger because it had been strapped to her forearm. Wordlessly he turned on his heel, walking stoically from the couple as he followed the trail of the woman he loved.

Miroku grimly hurried to Sango's side, helping her up. Neither said anything as he wiped the blood from her sword and handed it to her, watching in equal silence when she cleaned her dagger and retracted it inside her sleeve. They made their way to Hiraikotsu, and Sango refastened it, before the both of them walked decisively in the opposite direction of the miko and hanyou, Shippo in Sango's arms, the parting of ways strong in the air to both the instant he had thrown the young woman to the ground.

Shikamaru did not slow in his movement until they had reached the safety of the Konoha gates, speeding through the arch and thoroughly ignoring the angry yells of the guard they had awoken. He tightened his hold on his charge, turning sharply at the approaching corner.

"Where are you taking me?!"

Blue-gray eyes scanned the village hysterically. She needed to get back to her things and clean her cuts…or at least find a whole shirt for crying out loud! Shikamaru did not reply, concentrating on sailing rather gracefully over a fruit cart that had wheeled into their path.

Kagome gasped in surprise when they drew to a stop in front of a flower shop. Well, of all the places she had expected him to drag her…_this_ was definitely not one of them.

"Why are we—"

The door opened to the soft trill of a bell. The store was quiet and Kagome had an uneasy impression that somehow they had left behind the world outside and entered another one.

"How may I—what did you do to her?!"

A light blonde-haired young woman had appeared from behind a display of flowers, looking thoroughly scandalized by the condition Kagome was in. At least, the young miko mused, it ruled out the possibility of facing Shikamaru's mother; _that_ would have led to loads of painful questions.

"Shikamaru you coward! Did you let her get abused and jumped in to drag her body in the end?!"

The stranger was pretty, Kagome supposed. Her hair had been drawn up into a high ponytail but some of her bangs had been left to fall into her face. The woman huffed and whispered something Kagome couldn't make out, but by the look of Shikamaru's face, she figured she wouldn't want to.

"Oh come here, sit, sit!"

An alarmingly tall vase of daffodils was removed and set on a counter, the blonde gesturing to the stool it had occupied previously. Kagome eyed her warily as she rolled up her sleeves in an almost intimidating manner, still grumbling something at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru sighed and walked over to stand beside Kagome. He should have known better than to get Ino involved…

"Where are my manners?! You'll have to excuse me; _someone_ had been distracting me…"

The blonde glared heatedly at the teenager next to her.

"I'm Ino, Ino Yamanaka."

"I am Kagome Higurashi."

She smiled pleasantly. Kagome made to stand and bow to properly introduce herself but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"No, no, don't worry; let me check your wounds…"

Oh. Kagome raised her hands quickly, trying to ward off the woman's attention.

"I'll be fine, really, please, I don't want to be a bother!"

At this, Ino frowned.

"A bother?! Nonsense! Get out of that; Shikamaru, go upstairs and grab one of my blouses… Don't you _dare_ touch anything else or I'll have your head…"

Kagome complied, taking off the vest that had been thrown to her earlier, picking at the shreds of her shirt distastefully. At any rate, some of the minor cuts on her arms had started healing, thankfully…

Ino gave a low hiss at the sight of the slash that was revealed on her shoulder.

"Who was it that attacked you again?"

The raven-haired young woman looked flustered at the simple question. Ino cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. Jumpy little thing…

"I'm not too sure actually… A gang…maybe?"

The blonde made a face but did not question the answer. Kagome blinked in surprise when she felt energy collecting in Ino's palm and it started glowing eerily. The hand, warm against her arm, traced the cut lightly and Kagome watched amazed as wound started closing in on itself and the skin started knitting itself back together. She had never seen anything like this before. Sure, she could heal herself with time, but not with this speed…

"Just give me a few more minutes with the shallow ones around here…"

Ino bit the inside of her cheek to keep from voicing any of her thoughts. She'd like to meet this so called gang. A gang of shinobi maybe… But why attack a civilian?

"All done! See that door by the counter? Why don't you go wash up, I'll go see why Shikamaru is taking so long…"

Once sure that Kagome was in the bathroom, Shikamaru stepped out of the shadows from behind Ino, a lavender top thrown over his shoulder.

"Well?"

She glanced at her fellow jounin.

"Who attacked her?"

Dark eyes studied the sea green orbs.

"You tell me."

"Are you trying to say that she's not a civilian?"

Shikamaru shrugged, lazily leaning against a table that held a display of roses and irises. Before she could help herself, Ino grinned mischievously at him.

"She's cute though, isn't she?"

Not waiting for a reaction, she snatched the shirt and went to check on her friend's companion.

"Kagome…?"

Ino knocked twice before entering, handing the other girl her shirt. Kagome smiled apologetically but accepted it with a grateful nod.

"So…did you just move here?"

"Oh, yes actually, just a quick visit."

The blonde nodded distractedly, her attention held more so on a scar she had spotted on Kagome's hip that had caught her attention while the other girl had been slipping on the blouse.

"What do you do?"

"Hm? I'm…a writer."

Kagome didn't like the way a slender eyebrow had been raised and the way the pale girl's arms had stiffened as they were crossed over Ino's chest.

"Thank you for all your help, and the blouse. I'll return it as soon as possible."

Ino waved it off, her forehead creasing in agitation.

"I told you it was no trouble at all! Don't worry about it."

Yet she made no move to step away from the doorway.

"Say, how'd you meet Shikamaru?"

"I—I had some difficulty with that, uh, gang I mentioned. He stepped in that's all."

"That doesn't sound like him."

"Doesn't it?"

Kagome had the distinct feeling that her answers were being cut into bits for analysis.

"Right, well, he can be unpredictable, I guess…"

Despite what she said, the blonde was still sounding immensely thoughtful of the responses she had received.

"You've had a long day, I'm sure you'd like to go home and rest."

"Thanks…"

They both walked out quietly, the air between them tense despite the fact their short talk had been rather simple and casual. The blonde tossed the flak jacket towards her colleague, not the least bit surprised when he let it land onto the spot of table beside him, having decided not to reach out and catch the vest.

"What are you standing around there for?! Get the door for her!"

"Tch. Troublesome…"

Ino shot Shikamaru a dirty look when he voiced his annoyance. But, and Kagome giggled at this, he held the door open for her anyway after throwing his uniform vest over a shoulder.

"Why don't you drop by in a couple of days Kagome? So I can check on those…?"

She gestured vaguely, but the message was quite clear. Kagome faltered. The blonde had healed her very carefully already, and what had not been completely cared for would no doubt fix itself with her powers after a night of rest.

"I will, thank you Yamanaka-san."

"Ino. Just Ino, please."

She walked Kagome and Shikamaru to the door, waving cheerily as they leapt out of sight, Kagome supported by Shikamaru. Turning back into the store, she quickly glanced out the windows before flipping the sign over the door to 'close' and locking it behind her. After making sure that everything was in some form of order, she gave herself a nod of approval, and spun on the spot, vanishing in a poof of smoke once she had completed some quick hand seals from the shop's center.

Ino had expected to see Tsunade glaring at a wall out of boredom. Maybe she'd have been going through some medical journals. She might even be plastered, completely drunk off her rocker. What the young woman had not expected when she appeared in the Hokage's office was the older woman in conversation with a certain spiky-headed blonde.

"Oh, hey Ino."

"Naruto! What are you doing here?"

"Well actually…"

Naruto scratched the back of his neck, an embarrassed grin on his face.

"…I lost someone."

"You _lost_ someone?!"

"Say! What are _you_ doing here?"

The sound of a throat being cleared put a halt to their exchange.

"As _amusing_ as this is, what do you need Ino?"

Tsunade stared pointedly at her. Something must have happened for her to poof here in such a rush…

"I wanted to check the files we have on a Kagome Higurashi."

It was like the sound of that very name perked Naruto up.

"Oh, hey! I didn't know you knew her! Funny, you see, I'm trying to—"

But Ino didn't hear a thing he said. She had been too absorbed in the slight twitch of the Godaime. She could have sworn she saw the older woman sit a little straighter.

"Why?"

"I'd like to report an attack on a civilian."

Naruto immediately dropped his enthusiastic recollection of how he had met Kagome in favor of a serious and concerned silence.

"You mean…something happened to her?"

Ino gave a curt nod in response to her fellow jounin's question, still staring fixedly at Tsunade.

"What happened?! Who attacked her?! Is she okay?!"

Ino ignored him. She didn't like the way the hazel eyes she had been staring into had remained impassive at the news.

"But she is currently under Shikamaru's protection, correct?"

Ino blinked in surprise. How did she…? Tsunade smirked at the carelessly veiled bewilderment.

"Naruto had informed me that she had disappeared shortly after Shikamaru's departure from the ramen stand."

She looked down on her desk and casually unfurled a bit more of the scroll she had been reading before the two shinobi had appeared.

"She is a guest here at the village. Your mission is to keep track of her activities during her stay. Notify me if anything peculiar comes up."

The two jounin felt their hearts skip a beat and breathing became a little more difficult. Was it nerves? No, what type of a ninja would get nervous over a simple mission like this?! Perhaps it was fear? But what had they to be scared of? Yet it was so obvious. Kagome… Who was she and why was their Hokage so cautious of her? That innocent girl they had met? The very idea that they had to be wary of her was understandable; nonetheless, it was hard to picture her as a threat they'd have to track.

It was simply something they were trying to deny and they both knew it. There had to be something about her, no matter how much they wished there wasn't. For her sake…they prayed she meant no harm and was only passing through.

"Say…you don't really think she's a threat…do you?"

It was truly serious when Naruto drops his teasing. Ino held her breath for the answer.

When Tsunade said no more and refused to look up at them from her reading, they took it as a sign of dismissal. They nodded at each other and exited together, leaving the tower in minutes and walking solemnly down the streets of Konoha side by side.

"You better have a good story to tell, Kagome."

They bounced off the roof of a nearby building, startling the cat that had been basking in the warmth there.

"And what makes you think I have a story at all?"

The jounin did not bother glancing at her, focusing rather on reaching a dango shop on the far edge of the village, for the sake of privacy. He did not want to be overheard for one…he did not want others to see her for another, not wanting to deal with bothersome speculation people might, like Ino, conclude about her. No story? Who did she think she was trying to fool…?

The raven-haired young woman discreetly chewed on her lower lip, racking her brain for something to tell her companion. She couldn't very well tell him the story that she had invented…she owed him too much to lie to him. Nevertheless, she couldn't tell him the truth either, who would believe in her time-traveling well? Well, her friends did, but that's beside the point. She'll tell him about her group of friends!

Oh yeah, she could picture it now. Hey, you know those guys you saved me from? They were my friends. I know, hilarious huh? Yeah, the psycho with the red hakama is a hanyou, don't mind him, yes he tried to kill me, no I'm definitely not happy with his stupid behavior, but yes we were friends despite the little detail of attempted murder. Oh, and the witch that shot at me? It's his lover, uh huh, seriously. What's that? Oh, I said 'it' because she died, another funny story, I'm actually her reincarnation, but this crazy old bat tried reviving her in some clay body and stole part of my soul and stuffed it in her. Now she wants to kill me so that she'd have a whole soul and can really come back to life; that or drag Inuyasha down to hell with her.

She could hear him jumping for joy already. And she hadn't even gotten to Sango or Shippo or Miroku yet! She groaned inwardly; this was going to be a _great_ introduction.

"If you are going to make something up when we stop, at least _try_ to make it believable."

Kagome blushed and smiled shakily. Wonderful, not only can he turn her body into a puppet, he can read minds too! He sighed.

"We're almost there, now stop worrying, they won't find you."

True to his word, Shikamaru landed seconds later right outside a small shop that had benches and tables set up outside as well as inside. It was virtually deserted, save the woman working there and a couple of burly men in the back having a drink.

Kagome eyed the restaurant distrustfully. They were awfully alone… Suddenly, his words danced back into her mind. He had been sure to warn her against lying… She stifled a frantic squeak. What if he planned to force the truth out of her?! What if he…oh she didn't know! The possibilities were endless! He could dangle her out a window (never mind that the windows were only a few feet off the ground), or he could feed her to wild animals (you know, because the place might be crawling with strays), or he could hang her off a tree (that tree over there looks like a good place to hang off of)… Kagome's head swam with increasingly disastrous and continually far-fetched scenarios in which the teen that had saved her before became a sinister villain intent on her suffering.

"What are you gawking at?! Get in here."

She snapped out of her musings to see that he had already entered the threshold and had been holding the short curtains that hung over the doorway for her, an irritated expression on his face. Her head turned quickly left and right (noting that no one was around to see her enter a place she may never leave) and ducked in, muttering a thank you.

The woman immediately led them to an empty table by a window and poured them each a cup of steaming green tea, leaving a couple of menus before she left at the beckoning of one of the men.

Shikamaru slid into a seat wordlessly and picked up the list of options, eyes scanning it lazily. Kagome blinked. What? No interrogation? Timidly, she scooted into the seat opposite him, her fear and suspicion easing away quickly. Really now, what had she been thinking? She giggled silently. He's a friend, isn't he? He wouldn't go and harm her like that. Torture chamber, _ha_.

"Ready yet?"

The sound of his gruff voice, though clearly audible, did not carry to the rest of the patrons. Kagome looked up from her reading. He held his menu in front of his face in a way that prevented her from making out his features so even when he was undoubtedly addressing her, he did not look at her.

"Um…"

Had he been inquiring about her story or her order? Either way, the waitress approached them the moment she noticed Kagome glance away from the menu.

"What can I get you?"

"Hot sake…"

He turned to observe Kagome for a couple seconds.

"…for both of us. Tsukemono?"

Kagome nodded mutely in response.

"Daikon, kyuuri…and dango."

The waitress nodded, scribbling quickly on her tablet, and left. Shikamaru propped an elbow on the table and used it to support his chin, staring appraisingly at the blue-gray eyed girl across from him. If he noticed her arms shifting occasionally because she was fiddling with her fingers under the table due to nerves or if he noticed her eyes were directed at a spot just over his right shoulder _also_ due to nerves, he didn't let on.

"Didn't you want anything in particular?"

She gave a start and shook her head.

"You…can drink, right?"

Kagome hesitated, but gave a decisive nod. She had no idea when or how, but sometime or somewhere, she had lost her voice under his piercing gaze. A dull _thunk_ drew her attention and she was utterly fascinated by the placing of two small cups in front of each of them, followed by a bottle of sake in the middle and three small plates, one with some slices of pickled radish, one with pickled cucumber, and lastly, one with several skewers of pink or white dumplings.

The waitress quietly used a hand to hold back one of her long sleeves, picked up the sake bottle again, and filled both their cups, vanishing from view once more after her task. Shikamaru picked up his cup and raised it slightly in her direction. He turned slightly to the side when he drank but after he placed the cup back down onto the table's wooden surface, Kagome had to gulp as she was faced with the brunt of his full attention.

She raised her own cup to her lips and sipped slowly, just for the need of something to do and to delay the questions she knew would be coming. The alcohol burned her throat slightly, the warmth quickly seeping into her. She absentmindedly wondered if he had ordered it for her to loosen her tongue. Kagome smiled brightly, setting her cup down.

"Wonderful weather we're having, isn't it?"

Her hands were clasped together and brought on the table, her intertwining fingers set like a giant fist in the center of her forearms, both of which were flat on the table too. She leaned forward, though Shikamaru showed no reaction to her movement.

"So…my story huh?"

He did nothing in response. Actually, unless she was very much mistaken, his eyelids were even lowered, like he was half asleep.

"Well, I—"

"Why do you have such a high level of spiritual energy?"

Oh. Oh dear…

"I-I… Uh, you see, I… What I _meant_ to say was, um…"

Kagome gave a nervous chuckle. How had he…? She sipped idly once more, to buy time. He had been there from the start… He must have seen her with the demon and had been watching, stepping in only when he had to…

"…you knew all along, didn't you?"

Shikamaru gave the barest inclination of his head. Kagome gave a soft sigh and offered him a sad smile.

"A few years ago, I inherited the duty of guarding the Shikon no Tama. I…accidentally broke it. Now I have to find all the missing shards and restore the jewel. The group back there was the friends I had traveled with. That's all there is."

"It does not explain your powers."

"To guard the Shikon, you don't need physical power; you need the power to purify and keep it from becoming corrupted."

"So your chakra…?"

"What chakra?"

Shikamaru closed his eyes and tilted his head against his hand, like he had actually nodded off.

"It's nothing."

She threw him a skeptical look.

"Alright."

"And the woman?"

"Hm?"

"The woman with the bow."

"A miko."

"Miko?"

"Yes."

His eyes snapped open and he scowled.

"I have no time for your games."

Kagome blinked innocently at him.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

But she did. He knew she did.

"How troublesome…"

"Yes, yes I guess I am."

The door to the Hokage's office burst open and a frenzied chuunin toppled in, sputtering.

"What is it? Spit it out."

"Godaime-sama! A woman and, uh, a man is outside, demanding your presence!"

Tsunade continued reading unperturbed.

"They will wait until I wish to see them."

"I'm afraid we will not, Tsunade."

Hazel eyes widened and darted to the door where the chuunin had been roughly pushed aside by the couple that now stood there. They locked with detached brown orbs and a spark of recognition was lighted.

"Kikyo…"

The miko nodded.

"But how…? You died…"

"It matters not. I seek a favor."

Tsunade was still trying to grasp the situation at hand but she didn't let her guard escape her. She knew better than to trust the woman before her… Unnoticeably, she allowed her gaze to flick to the long-haired man behind the priestess, gauging his abilities.

Hmph, the half-demon Inuyasha… She didn't like the way things looked; this was really bad.

"I want a team of your shinobi to get rid of an eyesore for me."

At this, the hanyou stared, startled, at the dark-haired woman.

"Kikyo, wh-what are you talking about?! We just need the shards, why…?"

"Do you honestly think she would hand them over willingly?"

"But—"

"Enough."

The two women stared at each other. Tsunade felt the urge to spring to her feet and attack the miko, but stifled it, settling on intensifying her glare.

"We do not murder to satisfy whims, Kikyo."

A wicked smirk crossed the pale features.

"Oh, but you owe me Tsunade."

A fist slammed onto the desk's surface as the Hokage stood, splitting the piece right down the middle.

"I owe you nothing."

Kikyo tilted her head to the side, surveying the woman at the opposite end of the room.

"You know, you don't look more than a few years older since—"

"_Shut up_!"

Tsunade pointed a stern finger behind them, straining to not let anymore of her anger show.

"Get out. _NOW_."

"Oh my, is that anyway to talk to your sensei?"

The blonde froze.

"You are not my sensei."

Kikyo smiled lightly though the shadows it cast over her face made it less than pleasant.

"But you served as my apprentice for a couple of years. I taught you all that I knew about medicine. Don't tell me time has robbed you of your memories?"

"I got here on my own Kikyo. No one as selfish as you could possibly have been the one that helped me reach where I am today."

The miko looked up at the ceiling.

"Selfish, am I?"

"You would have thrown your village away to fulfill your desires! I heard everything that day! You were going to betray your village for _him_!"

Kikyo sighed and spoke as if she was tired of the conversation.

"Like you would not have thrown everything away for the man you loved."

"But you don't love him! He was a means to an end!"

Tsunade shook her head skeptically.

"You were tired of sacrificing your life for your village; you were only using him to get rid of the jewel, your duty."

"Believe what you want Tsunade, but I really did love him then."

"Tch."

"When I died, I took the jewel with me."

"I could care less."

"I was reincarnated and the jewel resurfaced."

"Don't tell me… You got her soul stolen so that you could be revived. Typical."

"No. I was tired of this world yet my rest was ripped away from me in the form of a greedy witch."

"Huh, you know, I have heard that karma bites a hundred times harder."

"My reincarnate broke the jewel."

At this Tsunade blinked in surprise, forgetting her resentment for the moment at least.

"She _what_?!"

"We are collecting the shards but she is standing in our way."

Kikyo smirked at Tsunade's stunned silence. She got her. Tsunade knew exactly how powerful the Shikon no Tama was and how dangerous it can be. She won't be able to back out anymore.

"Now, about that mission…"

Tsunade snapped out of her silence, frown fixed on her face once more and glare strong as ever.

"Just so that we are clear Kikyo, I am not doing this for you. I am doing this for my people."

"So long as you are doing it."

Kikyo walked up to the broken desk and held her hand out. Tsunade stared down at it before reluctantly reaching to shake it, hating the cold that jolted up her arm and her close proximity to the miko. She didn't deny herself the pleasure to concentrate some chakra into her hand and add enough pressure to nearly break off the miko's arm.

"I won't feel it, you know."

"Like I care."

Kikyo walked away from the blonde, stopping at the door. She pushed the hanyou out first before finally turning to look at Tsunade.

"By the way…your target's name is Kagome Higurashi."

A/N 2: Oh yeah, I'm back, MUAHAHA! Thought I finished everything up in the first note, eh? Sorry but I just had to ask: Come on, be honest, how many of you expected that? The Kikyo/Tsunade relationship, I mean? It came rather suddenly, actually, but I think it's kind of fun to add a bit of a twist to help develop (and complicate) the, um, future relationship of Shikamaru and Kagome. Alright, thanks for Reading, hope you Enjoyed, and please Review!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks everyone for your lovely reviews! Please keep them coming, so read, review, and enjoy!

L

Shizune watched Tsunade worriedly, hugging Tonton closer instinctively. What had happened? This wasn't like her at all. The older woman had been pacing the entire length of the office, going back and forth repeatedly in a trance-like state. Her eyes had been trained on the ground a couple of feet in front of her but Shizune knew that her mentor and friend was not seeing the floor. Tsunade's hands were clasped behind her back and Shizune noticed that the knuckles were white. Something must really be disturbing her.

"Tsunade-sama…?"

The blonde looked up and blinked confusedly, as if she had no idea where she was or why she had been there.

"Yes?"

Shizune tried to decipher the Hokage's thoughts through her eyes but was greeted by a brick wall.

"Something is bothering you."

It was not a question; it was plain as day. Tsunade turned away from her assistant and continued walking up and down the room's span.

"Yes."

Shizune looked at Tsunade expectantly, waiting for her to continue. She didn't.

"Why don't I fix you a cup of tea?"

Tsunade stopped once more, glancing out of the body-length window behind her desk at the village below, buildings illuminated by the full moon. For a couple of minutes, she remained silent before heaving a nearly inaudible sigh and resumed her pacing.

"That won't be necessary."

Shizune frowned.

"You shouldn't drink if you're upset; it's easier to get drunk."

Tsunade laughed dryly.

"Funny. I've always found it harder to do so."

"Does this…have to do with the two intruders earlier in the afternoon?"

"Yes."

"Are you worried that they got in so easily?"

"No."

Shizune made a surprised noise in the back of her throat. She had been sure that had been the reason. Tonton gave a concerned snort at the room's vibe.

"What did they say to you?"

"They just wanted a team for a mission."

"What's so—"

But Tsunade had slapped a hand to her face, shielding most of it. Even with most of her mouth covered, a muffled growl escaped to fill the quiet room.

"They want someone dead, Shizune! And to think, the person they want killed…"

She slumped to the floor, her head bowed and arms limp at her sides. Shizune immediately hurried and crouched down beside her, wrapping a comforting arm around the shaking woman's shoulders.

"I don't know what to do, Shizune…"

"I know, Tsunade-sama. You of all people wouldn't want to send—"

"I have to; I have to send them to kill her…"

"No, just turn down the mission…"

"I can't, I have to protect Konoha… I'm the Hokage… My people…"

Shizune swallowed with difficulty. She hated times like this. Times when Tsunade had to make painful decisions…times when she could be of no help to the older woman.

"Say, is that bottle you keep under your desk still there?"

"…what?"

"Don't act like you have no idea what I'm talking about, you've been trying to hide that thing from me all year."

Tsunade gave her assistant a faint smile.

"…yes."

As soon as she had stepped through the doorway of the inn, Kagome walked straight into an orange-clad figure.

"Kagome! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Kagome managed a soft gasp of surprise before she was pulled into a tight hug. Naruto let her go soon after, holding her at arms' length and inspecting her all over.

"I heard what happened from Ino when I ran into her earlier. Are you alright?! Who were the bastards that attacked you?! I'll kick their asses!"

"Naruto—"

"Just you wait until I get my hands on them…"

The young miko couldn't help the tingling warmth that bloomed inside her at the blonde's concern. He had been worried about her…

"I'm fine, Naruto."

She beamed up at him.

"Thank you."

He blinked, instantly speechless at the sight of her smile. His face softened and he smiled gently back.

"You should go rest. You've been through a lot today."

Kagome looked away.

"Mm-hm…"

She looked back up suddenly, staring directly into Naruto's cerulean eyes.

"Are you alright, Naruto?"

"Hm? What do you mean? I feel perfectly fine!"

"But you feel…different somehow. Heh, never mind, forget it."

"M'kay…"

He patted her head a couple of times, wearing a broad grin.

"Now get to sleep, you must be exhausted!"

"Yeah… Goodnight."

"Night!"

Kagome turned and walked away, waving at the blonde before she started climbing up the stairs. You'd think she'd be used to stairs what with the ones outside the shrine at home and all…

She counted the doors down the hall and stopped in front of the one that led into her room, digging into her pocket for her key. It never ceased to amaze her that no matter how roughly she is thrown around, the stuff in her pockets almost never fall out.

Before Kagome was able to fit her key into the lock, the door swung open from the inside and she stared into bored, dark eyes.

"Took you long enough."

"Shikamaru…! How did you…?"

He stepped back and held the door open for her, wordlessly closing it after she had come in. Kagome stared at him utterly bewildered. He scowled.

"What?!"

"You…here…how…what…_huh_?!"

Shikamaru looked away but not before Kagome spotted the pink that started to stain his cheeks.

"I was just checking to make sure you got back okay."

"Oh, uh, heh, yeah, I did, thank you."

He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Good."

"Mm-hm."

Kagome smiled.

"How about some tea?"

"N—"

"There's this shop down the block, I saw it on my way back, and since you went through all that trouble to stop by, maybe we—"

"It's late, Kagome."

She looked up at him curiously. He sounded like he was holding something back…like there was something he wanted to say but chose not to.

"Alright, guess I'll just…see you around?"

Shikamaru turned half-lidded eyes to her and gave her a curt nod.

"Uh, um…good night, then."

He turned his back to her and she thought he was about to leave, but out of nowhere, a lightning fast hand shot up from his side and tapped her on the forehead with his index and middle finger. Kagome automatically raised both her hands to shield it from any more assaults, squeezing her eyes shut and pouting at the jounin.

When she opened them again, Shikamaru was already at the entryway, about to close the door. Before he did though, Kagome was sure she caught a ghost of a smile on his lips.

Naruto watched the blue-eyed young woman vanish up the flight of stairs and waited for her footsteps to fade before disappearing into the night. He walked slowly down the streets in a thoughtful silence, kicking at a stray pebble now and then. However, rather than walk straight ahead towards the building his apartment room was in, he turned to the right and headed for an alleyway behind a restaurant. Now a safe distance from the inn, he performed a few hand seals and his disguise ebbed away with a few wisps of colored smoke.

Shizune sighed and leaned against the wall for support. She had waited until Tsunade had entered a drunken haze and had started falling asleep before she dared to go check on the file that Tsunade had had on her desk. It was that of the girl that had set up temporary residency papers with them that morning. The file had contained a couple of hastily scribbled notes in Tsunade's handwriting.

True, she knew that Tsunade didn't trust Kagome, but only because she had invented a story for the files. Now Tsunade's torn between killing a girl they knew nothing about or risk danger befalling the village. Shizune paused. What danger could the girl bring? She had seemed nice enough and had an innocence about her that many lacked. That poor girl… She tilted her head back, pressing it against the wall. She'll drop by and ask ANBU for a copy of the security tape in the morning, which might be a bit more useful…

"Are you planning on telling me why you're here, or do I actually _have_ to try asking?"

Shizune pushed herself off instantly, glaring up at the roof that had been behind her. Crouching on its edge was Shikamaru Nara. She relaxed a bit, but not completely.

"Oh, it's you."

"What were you doing, waiting for Kagome at the inn?"

"Me? Since when was I at an inn?"

Shikamaru stood and stretched. Shizune stepped back, watching as he jumped off and landed calmly in front of her.

"Whatever."

"…"

Shizune eyed him sadly.

"I wouldn't get too attached to her, Shikamaru-kun."

He quirked an eyebrow.

"Someone has placed a mission for her life… I'm afraid…it's only a matter of time before Tsunade-sama assigns a team."

He felt the world around him freeze. What was going on…?!

Kagome emerged from the bathroom in her overly large t-shirt with a towel around her shoulders, rubbing forcefully with one end of it to dry her hair, when a sharp rapping shifted her attention to the window.

She stopped and walked over to it, unsure about whether or not her mind was messing with her. Shikamaru had been right; it was rather late after all…

"Kagome!"

She took a step back, momentarily shocked by the loud whisper.

"Hey, open up! It's me, Naruto!"

Eh? Why'd he come back? Kagome undid the latch and pulled the screen open, revealing the blonde grinning at her from a tree that stood a couple feet away. He looked around, saw no one, and jumped, held tightly onto the sill, before hoisting himself into the room. Impressive…

"Hey, Ino told me everything. Damn it, I should have gone right after you but I lost sight of you and I—"

"Naruto, I'm fine, really. Thank you."

"As soon as I find out who those bastards were, I swear I'll—"

Kagome looked at him, puzzled.

"Naruto, why'd you come back?"

"I came to check on you of course!"

"But you were just here! About, what, an hour ago?"

Naruto broke off.

"No I wasn't."

"_Eh_?!"

Naruto frowned slightly.

"This isn't funny, Kagome."

"I'm not joking…I came back…and you were downstairs…and we talked…and I thought—"

Naruto watched his newest friend try to figure out what was going on. Someone had been impersonating him. He could understand, what with his dashing good looks and all, but why would anyone try to use him to get close to Kagome? …is she in some kind of danger?

Tsunade cracked an eye open after hearing the soft _click_ of her office door closing behind the dark-haired woman. She breathed out heavily and looked at the near-empty bottle of alcohol in her hand. So much for getting drunk…

She heaved herself up with little difficulty and blinked at the spinning room, trying to get it to focus, rubbing at her eyes with the back of a hand in an attempt to get rid of her bleary vision. The Hokage walked slowly to her desk and glanced down, not the least bit surprised to find the file she had on Kagome Higurashi opened and rifled through.

Tsunade ran a hand over the glossy surface of the photo they had taken of the girl, staring intently at the smiling face. She had known there had had to have been more than the story about being a wandering writer. But to break the jewel and make an enemy of _Kikyo_ of all people?!

She picked up the picture and gazed at the image of the condemned woman regretfully. For Kagome's sake, Tsunade sincerely prayed that Shizune had found someone or something that would stop her from killing a possibly innocent girl.

Shikamaru snuck into his room through a window, cursing out its height on his way up, but concluding that it was indeed preferable to a confrontation with his mother. Had he been anyone else, his face would have been etched in concern and frustration. But he was Shikamaru so all that was unnecessary because while everyone else would panic, he could stay calm and collected as he tried to figure out this new complication.

Who would want to kill Kagome? Virtually no one knew who she was; she had just arrived in the village yesterday. He kicked off his shoes and threw his uniform vest into a dark, distant corner distractedly. The woman with the bow… He paused, eyes widening a fraction. He had mastered his emotions after all. The miko…shooting…the man in red…lunging…shards… His mind sped through the entire afternoon, picking through the conversations, storing away bits and pieces…it all fit…

Shikamaru dropped the shirt he had just taken off onto the floor, his hands shaking. That couple wanted Kagome dead for the shards. He remembered the pieces of rosy pink jewel. What were they, to be coveted by so many? The knowledge mocked him; it was just outside of his reach, he was so close…

He gave a quiet snort and sat down on his bed. Power, wealth, prestige…the usual things most would desire. Would the jewel shards have something to do with that? The Shikon no Tama… Physical power is not needed to guard it, rather the spiritual energy to purify it and keep it free from corruption… Yes, that fit too. The jewel probably dragged from the fickle hearts of man their greatest desire and turned it into reality, hence the need to keep it pure…

His musings were interrupted when knocking echoed throughout the house. Shikamaru let out a nervous hiss. Shit… He poked his head out of his room just as an earsplitting voice floated up the stairs.

"Shikamaru! Company!"

Tch. He turned and walked straight back into his room and sat down on the bed once more, struggling in vain to ignore the thundering footsteps that were pounding up the stairs. Before long, a certain loud, blonde ninja burst into the bedroom, panting and looking exceptionally angry.

"Tell me everything that happened after you left."

Shikamaru yawned and gave him a bored look. Naruto frowned but walked in anyway, sliding the screen door closed, interpreting Shikamaru's silence as wanting to make sure they were first alone.

"Well?!"

Shikamaru stretched languidly and reached blindly under his bed, disregarding the impatient glare he was receiving, surfacing with a bottle of sake in each hand and simply offered one to the other shinobi.

Naruto accepted the alcohol and easily twisted off the cap after sending a surge of chakra to his hand to lend it more strength. He didn't drink though, preferring to watch the dark-haired young man take a long swig and free his ebony locks from his usual ponytail.

Shikamaru ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair. He hardly untied it, opting to do so only when there was something he couldn't understand and felt restless. It was too troublesome to fix it properly afterwards. Do you have any idea how hard it was to put up hair not particularly long and make sure it stays up for an extensive period of time?

"Tsunade sent you after her, huh?"

Naruto looked at the floor.

"That's no fair; I came looking for answers, not the other way around."

Shikamaru looked up at the ceiling much like he had last night, wishing that it had all the answers to his questions.

"What are you going to do, Naruto?"

The blonde shook his head dejectedly.

"She's in trouble, isn't she? I knew it when the order was given."

"What order?"

Shikamaru took another long draw from the bottle in the hopes that the wine would squash his rising dread. Shizune had been right: he was getting a little too attached, even if he had only known Kagome for about a day.

"Have to watch her, report anything off, basic surveillance…"

Shikamaru nodded and gestured for the blonde to sit somewhere. They were going to have a _long_ talk.

"So…?"

"Nah, haven't done anything yet. Checked on her earlier, heard from Ino she was attacked…?"

"Yeah."

"Why the hell did you let some gang attack her for?!"

"It's not like I wanted it to happen."

Naruto frowned disapprovingly at the laidback responses.

"What happened then?!"

"She got out in one piece."

"And?"

"I took her to Ino's"

"Are you _trying_ to be unhelpful?!"

"I don't try. Too much trouble involved."

Naruto sighed dramatically but returned the smile his friend had on.

"You haven't changed a bit."

"Why leave a state of content?"

Kagome burrowed deeper into her covers, pulling it up to her chin. What was going on? Why would anyone want to go through the trouble of meeting her…? She stifled a yawn, trying desperately to keep her eyes opened and focused on the swarming questions. Sleep was wrapping her soft shawl around the young miko and she couldn't fight it.

When Kagome jogged lightly down the stairs the next morning, the first thing that caught her eyes was a familiar person leaning casually against the entrance, seemingly waiting for her. Upon catching sight of her, he pushed off, and walked to meet her in the center of the lobby.

"Hey."

"Good morning, Naruto."

The blonde grinned widely at her.

"You're looking well."

Kagome smiled up at him.

"Yes, much better thank you."

Naruto lifted a brow.

"You know, you don't have to be so formal."

She shrugged, pouting slightly.

"I guess I don't realize I'm doing it."

The jounin laughed and threw an arm around the startled miko's shoulders, leading her out the doorway.

"Say, how about we get some food? You ran off on me yesterday…what do you say?"

Kagome giggled and nodded compliantly.

"Sure."

Ino looked up from the display she was arranging towards the door, the bell still tinkling softly.

"Morning Shikamaru."

Shikamaru nodded his head once, staring fixedly as the blonde as she turned back to her flowers, her hands gently caressing the petals.

"So, what're you doing here so early in the morning?"

"I need to know what's going on."

Ino glanced at him again, quirking a brow.

"About what?"

"Your meeting with Tsunade yesterday."

True, he had learned all that he needed from Naruto…but he also needed to know which side Ino was on, even though he knew he could count on her help should he need it. She looked away, brow creasing.

"I know what you're thinking."

"Oh?"

"Naruto must have told you."

"He did."

"Do you realize…what it'll mean?"

Her gaze returned to him when he tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling.

"Yes."

"And…you're prepared for it?"

"…"

The blonde smirked. She could just hear the 'troublesome' on the tip of his tongue.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped then."

She straightened out the display a last time, eyeing it for any flaws.

"I'll keep you posted, though nothing should happen too soon."

Her back remained turned to him. When the bell's gentle chime signaled his departure, Ino sighed and ran a hand through her long bangs. Time to get to work…

Kagome set her chopsticks down politely, watching in a mixture of intrigue and shock as Naruto literally _inhaled_ his fourth bowl of ramen with a smack of his lips and a beam. He pointed at her bowl with his own pair of chopsticks; Kagome tried to ignore the flecks of noodle and soup that flew in her direction.

"Oi, oi! Don't stop, Kagome, this one's on me! Hey old man! Fill her up!"

But then his face disappeared from view and Ino's replaced it.

"Hey Kagome!"

Naruto struggled against the hand that held him unyieldingly, the kunoichi pressing his head to the table's surface as she smiled at the miko.

"Good morning."

Ino released her grip, pushing the jounin off the stool in the process, and sat down beside Kagome.

"So? How you feeling? Everything feeling okay?"

Kagome nodded, thanking the blonde while keeping an amused eye on Naruto as he shakily pulled himself up into the next available stool with the aid of the counter.

"Geez Ino, what was that for?"

"Shut up Naruto, I'm in a hurry. I just wanted to check on Kagome."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, smirking slyly.

"Oh yeah? Who's the guy?"

Ino frowned at him.

"What are you talking about?!"

His mischievous grin spread across his features.

"Must take you all day to get ready, eh?"

Ino's fist collided with his face before Kagome even saw the kunoichi move. Naruto gave an exaggerated wail, sulked, and rubbed his cheek gingerly.

"You could have just said that there wasn't a guy."

Ino growled and looked away, huffing.

"So…who's the girl then?"

Shizune sighed, switching off the screen she had been watching the security footage ANBU kept. Great, this was _bloody fantastic_… It had been as she feared. She hastily crammed the tape into an open drawer when the door to her office slammed open, revealing Tsunade with bags under her eyes.

"Tsunade-sama!"

Shizune stood up, knocking her chair to the ground.

"You look horrible!"

The blonde glowered.

"Well aren't you charming today…"

Tsunade stumbled over and sat down, rubbing agitatedly at a temple.

"So, get anything interesting out of the video?"

She blinked tired hazel eyes at the other woman.

"Should I feel insulted that you didn't expect me to know?"

"No, that's not what I meant, Tsunade-sama."

Shizune bit her lip.

"You're not angry?"

The Hokage glanced out the window calmly.

"I trust your judgment."

The simple answer made Shizune smile weakly. Tsunade-sama always was a big softy underneath it all, one that had sadly seen and been through too much in her life.

Ino burst through the entrance way of the ramen shop, face contorted in anger as she looked up and down the dusty streets.

"Naruto! Get your ass back here!"

Chuckles could be heard from her left and she turned to see Naruto leaning rather relaxed against the stand's wall, smirking at her.

"Oh, why you little—"

"Anything new?"

Ino snorted.

"Like I'd tell you after that stunt you pulled."

"What?! It got you away, didn't it?"

"It was humiliating!"

His laughter continued.

"Come on, it was kind of funny."

His expression was suddenly serious.

"What could you tell?"

The kunoichi tapped her chin with a finger, remembering her glimpses of Kagome's hands.

"She's a fighter, that's for sure; uses a bow, if I'm not mistaking."

"She's not a shinobi though."

Ino agreed, nodding contemplatively.

"I think it's more for self-defense or on occasion. Her hands are not calloused enough for her to be a constant archer."

"What else? Come on, there's got to be more than that."

Ino frowned.

"There are traces of chakra-usage, but that doesn't make sense."

"You sure you're just not making a mistake? Your bangs got in your way of a clear view…?"

He avoided the pale hand that swatted at him.

"I'm positive! She's no kunoichi. That I'm sure of."

Naruto crossed his arms behind his head.

"Heh. Do you think the bum knows all this yet?"

Ino shrugged.

"I wouldn't put it past him."

She peeked through the doorway and tilted her head towards Kagome.

"You should go back in, I'll go tell him."

Naruto nodded and fixed a broad smile in place, ducking back into the small restaurant, while Ino started at a leisurely pace down the streets of Konoha.


	9. Chapter 9

Hi everyone! I realize it has been an insanely long time since my last update, but this chapter is by far the longest I have ever posted so hopefully that makes it up a bit... I'm on my spring break which is what has given me free time to update; school has been really stressful and was basically what kept me away. It will continue to do so, unfortunately, so please be patient with me! Thanks to all of my readers and especially to the reviewers that have encouraged me, I hope that you'll enjoy what you read and drop me a review!

L

Naruto took his seat once more, stretched, cracked his knuckles, and ordered another round of ramen. Kagome looked around them thoughtfully, noting the missing kunoichi.

"Where did Ino go?"

The blonde shrugged, reaching over the counter and accepting the generous portion of noodles that was being handed to him.

"Who cares? She probably really does have a girl stashed somewhere…"

Ino's words kicked in and he turned to his newest friend suddenly.

"Say Kagome…"

"Hm?"

"Ever been to the training grounds?"

"Naruto, I've only been here a couple of days…"

The jounin nodded, obviously satisfied with the however indirect answer, and returned to his ramen as if the small exchange had not interrupted his feast in any way, shape, or form.

Shikamaru's gaze flicked behind him as frantic waving caught his attention. His eyes trailed down the pale arm and landed on the exasperated face of none other than his teammate.

"Where have you been?! I've searched everywhere for you!"

Obviously not if she hadn't found him until now.

"I swear I thought you crawled into a hole and died this time…"

"What do you want?"

The kunoichi breathed in deeply and her nostrils flared: a sure sign to leave…really quickly. Shikamaru sighed and did just that, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking away from the fuming blonde.

"Don't turn your back on me!"

The jounin called back over his shoulder though he kept his pace; he could tell from the footsteps that were following him steadily that Ino was still behind him.

"What do you want?!"

Ino fell into step with him, anger temporarily forgotten as she glanced left and right with evident curiosity.

"Where are you going? You don't live in this district."

Shikamaru didn't answer, pausing only when a tree obstructed his path. His companion flicked his wrist playfully.

"Trying to figure out a way to get past it without having to take the time to go around?"

He glared at her half-heartedly before falling into a crouch. With a mighty push, he soared swiftly into the tree's branches. He blinked down at Ino.

"Was there a reason you were looking for me?"

"Perhaps. Is there a reason as to why you're in a tree?"

He frowned and snorted quietly, peering back up to the window before him. He listened carefully and when met with silence, reached out and slid the screen that shielded it open. With the nimble grace of a cat, he left his perch and landed on his feet within the inn room.

"Shikamaru Nara, what are you doing?! Breaking and entering?! To think I associate with the likes of you!"

The jounin poked his head out the window and hissed hastily.

"Shut up will you?! Either you get in here or leave, damn it!"

Ino placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot in agitation.

"You have to tell me what you're doing first!"

Shikamaru, in a rare show of mischief that had probably arisen from her stubbornness, smirked down at his teammate.

"And if I don't?"

The kunoichi glowered darkly as he commented in a rather patronizing tone.

"Come now, we both know you'll come up anyway."

"Hey! Don't talk to me like that!"

She gritted her teeth at his impassive demeanor as he stared down at her and stomped her foot.

"Oh…fine!"

Shikamaru stepped back and waited for Ino to enter the hotel room, looking around thoughtfully in the meantime.

"So?! What are you looking…for?"

She had hesitated upon catching sight of scattered pieces of clothing lying around.

"You broke into…a _girl's_ room?!"

The other jounin didn't respond, stooping to go through the various articles.

"Shikamaru Nara, you don't just _pick through_ a girl's things!"

The shinobi stopped in front of a chest and kicked it open easily, glancing at the yellow backpack inside with satisfaction.

"Got it."

Ino walked over despite her indignation, sneaking a peek over his shoulder. Her friend picked it up with a soft grunt and set it on the ground with a furrow of his brow.

"It's heavier than it looks…"

There was an air to his words that suggested they were simply meant to fill the tense silence that had somehow formed.

Lifting the flap revealed something long wrapped in cloth, clothing, snacks, water…nothing much out of the ordinary. He pulled the long parcel out suspiciously and unrolled it. A bow and a few rather battered arrows… Why would Kagome—

"I could have told you she was an archer."

Shikamaru glanced up slightly surprised. Ino nodded affirmatively at the faint disbelief, her previous anger seemingly having evaporated now that she knew he hadn't invaded someone's privacy on a whim.

"It's what I wanted to tell you when I looked for you."

She fiddled with her long bangs absentmindedly.

"There were also traces of chakra on her hands, though why they're there, I don't know."

Her fellow jounin eyed the bow contemplatively.

"Chakra huh…"

Fingering the feathered tail on one of the projectiles, a faint smile ghosted over his lips upon noticing the slightly singed point of the arrowhead.

Why were they here…? Her wide eyes swept over the training ground, noting the trees that swayed in the gentle wind off to the side.

"Uh, Naruto…"

"Hm?"

The blonde shinobi had been tightening the straps on his sandals by her feet.

"Yeah?"

Kagome sent him skeptical look.

"What are we doing here?"

She received a dazzling smile.

"You are going to be my first student!"

The declaration nearly threw her off her feet.

"W-what?"

"Well, I figure if your going to be ganged up on, you should know how to protect yourself."

Whether the response had been serious or defensive, she couldn't decide. Standing and dusting his pants off, Naruto faced her and gave her an encouraging nod.

"Come on; give me your best hit."

Horrified, Kagome took several hasty steps away.

"NO! I'm not going to fight you! I can't even fight!"

The jounin scoffed.

"No wonder you were targeted. What's the worst that can happen? If I say you're my student, I'm going to teach you _something_, damn it! Now punch me!"

The miko shook her head, eager to leave. She discovered the moment her back was turned to him, she was confronted again. Actually, she was thoroughly surrounded. Wonderful, a battalion of Narutos.

"Come on Kagome! Let's see what you've got!"

"Be realistic; I'm a civilian! Being beat up is kind of normal!"

"No it isn't!"

"Than look at it this way: I'm small, female, and completely unarmed; I'd be an optimal victim."

"We'll fix that! You'll drink a glass of milk with every meal! Who needs weaponry when you have fists? And to be honest, I don't get the female thing; girls _hurt_."

A hand, tanned from training in the sun, grabbed hers, pale in comparison.

"Just focus all your energy here and let it loose!"

Kagome stiffened…where was he going with that statement? Did he…know? No, there was no way.

"It maximizes your power."

His clones vanished one by one as he concentrated on explaining, convinced that she won't try to run away by the interested expression she wore. If he noticed she only understood a third of the junk he was spouting, he didn't let it show.

Nearly a week passed and Naruto, Shikamaru, and Ino were growing increasingly restless. There had been no action from Tsunade's end and their wariness had been drawn taut from trying to anticipate when she would assign a team for the assassination or, if she had already made an assignment, when said team would make their move. Kagome, so far as they knew, had remained safe thus far and blissfully oblivious.

It wasn't until Naruto, tired of constantly being on edge, decided to confront the Godaime did they realize that Tsunade had been lying in wait for a catalyst as well.

"We are tools, Naruto. We answer to those who hire us, regardless of our personal views on the matter. That is the true curse of being shinobi."

Naruto looked away, lowering his gaze to the ground. Why?! Why must it end like this?!

"I won't let anyone touch her."

Tsunade rubbed a temple tiredly.

"You'll turn your back on Konoha?"

His heart skipped a beat.

"She did nothing wrong! She shouldn't have to die!"

Tsunade stared him straight in the eye the second he lifted his head up. His indignant features made her smirk inwardly. Same old Naruto. Sometimes she wished he had never chosen to become a ninja. There is rarely justice in their world and yet he seeks it passionately, blindly…

"That is not for us to decide."

"You should have turned down the mission then!"

"Could I have?"

"Yes! Stop making it sound like you had no choice in the matter!"

"That's because I _didn't_!"

"Yes you did!"

"Enough!"

The blonde woman stood abruptly, slamming a tightly clenched fist onto her desk.

"You say you will become the next Hokage! Have you ever thought about the decisions you must make?! The responsibilities?! Sometimes it means you have to do things you don't want to! But what choices are there?! Would you pick an individual over your village?! Your people would need you the way Konoha needs me! I will _not_ allow anything to befall Konoha if I can help it Naruto, not even if I have to kill a civilian! Understand that I don't wish for it to happen but it _must_!"

Her shoulders heaved and her breathing was coming out in harsh pants.

"You think I don't know that?! That there are responsibilities?! But it is your _job_ to protect the people under you, _all_ the people living under you! _And that includes Kagome_!"

Tsunade was stunned. He had obviously given the matter more thought than she'd given him credit for. She wondered for a moment if it was possible to shove her position onto him yet; Kami knows all hell would break loose if he seriously considered revolting over the sake of a mere girl…

"I won't let anyone touch her…"

His whisper, contrasting completely with his angry yelling from before, still carried throughout the room.

"…and believe you me, I'm not the only one."

With that, Naruto turned without another word and stalked out of the Hokage office in a mixture of fury, dread, and anguish.

Tsunade watched the blonde turn down the corridor to exit the tower, tapping her fingers on her desk in a fit of pent up annoyance. Shizune stepped up to stand behind her nervously, not daring to take her eyes off of the woman.

"Tsunade-sama…?"

The Hokage's lips curled into a dangerous smirk.

"I'll give them an hour…then, we start."

Shizune nodded and flickered out of sight.

Squeaking at the shinobi's sudden appearance, Kagome placed a hand over her racing heart.

"What are you doing here?"

"No time; grab your stuff, we're leaving."

The miko placed her hands on her hips and frowned defiantly.

"Why?"

Naruto grabbed everything he saw that looked like they belonged to the young woman and crammed it in her backpack, zooming all over the hotel room. Finally, he grabbed Kagome's wrist and dragged her out, ignoring all her questions as he did so.

"Naruto! _Naruto_! Where are you taking me?!"

Kagome stifled a yelp as she ducked, feeling a low hanging branch brush against her scalp. The village flashed in and out of her vision, nothing but blurs…out of the village now, past the looming gates and guard tower…down the worn dusty path now, past a merchant's cart laden with his wares heading into Konoha…

"Don't think, just run!"

Her arm felt numb as he dragged her along, her legs ached from the distance they had sprinted, and her backpack pounded annoyingly against her back.

"B-but Naruto, why are we leaving all of a sudden? I'm tired, can't we stop for just a sec—"

The blonde responded by whipping his head around to look over his shoulder; she noticed, however, that he glanced right past her, gritting his teeth at whatever it was he saw.

"Hold on Kagome, just a bit further…"

He wrapped an arm securely around her waist all of a sudden.

"No seriously, hang on; we're going in the trees."

And with a powerful leap, he pulled the both off them into the nearest one.

"They're following us! Damn!"

"Who are?!"

Naruto still didn't deem it a time to answer. He tightened his grip and sprang off random limbs that protruded from their surroundings. A soft whirring could be heard through the silence and her heavy breathing.

Kagome turned to the sound behind her and her eyes widened: shuriken were flying towards them. What the hell was going on?!

As if in slow motion, they inched closer and closer though the people that threw them were nowhere in sight. Before she could scream at Naruto, kunai shot out from somewhere to their right and intercepted the gleaming weaponry. But how—?!

"Hurry up Naruto! They're gaining on you, idiot!"

As if kunai mysteriously bursting out of the trees next to them wasn't enough, Ino suddenly appeared beside them, wearing an angry scowl.

"I would've thought you'd have gotten her to the next country by now!"

"Easy for you to say! _You_'_re_ not the one they're chasing!"

Kagome glanced from one of the jounin to the other, speechless.

"How did you…where…why…?!"

Ino turned to her, giving her a small smile despite the fact her lips were drawn into a tight line, evidence to her mounting worry.

"Never mind that, Kagome-chan. We'll take good care of you."

"Wait, what's going on?!"

But Ino had already slowed and stopped, turning to face their invisible attackers. What?! No!

"Naruto, we have to go back! What's Ino doing?!"

Once more he ignored her, speeding up and going to the left when a fork appeared in the path.

"Listen to me Kagome. You have to get out of here, got it?"

"Oh yeah, because we were having _such_ a pleasant stroll back in Konoha up until now!"

If he heard her, he gave no indication. Rather, he shifted her so that she could cling to his neck and was pressed upon his back, roughly dropping from the height they were at to the ground below where he promptly released her, a deadly serious expression on his face. It made her think twice before speaking again; never before had she seen him sporting such a face.

"Where is that—?"

"Shikamaru?! What are you doing here?!"

The lazy jounin straightened, rolling his head from side to side a couple of times. The leaves above him still shook lightly from his descent. He nodded once to the blonde.

"Ino's down; we've got a change of plan."

Naruto nodded grimly back, his expression mirroring the barely concealed look of strain on the Nara's face.

"Hold on, Shikamaru! What do you mean 'Ino's down'?! Answer me!"

But no one did. Naruto made a shadow clone in seconds and one of them (she wasn't sure if it was _him_ or his clone) became…well…_her_. Kagome number two waved shyly at her and hid a blushing face behind a delicate hand, eyes downcast femininely.

Kagome couldn't keep her gaze straying down to her double's chest…

"Naruto…what did you do…?"

He laughed though the sound was dry in her ears.

"Think of it as entertainment…and the ultimate distraction. They're all closet perverts anyway."

The young miko paled.

"Naruto…you're not going to do what I _think_ you're going to…right?"

The blonde jounin grinned widely at her, placing an arm casually around the shoulders of the doppelganger.

"If all goes well, I'll be able to meet up with you two at nightfall."

"Wait, no, Naruto…!"

Shikamaru grabbed a hold of her once more and they had taken back to the trees, heading in the opposite direction as Naruto and her mirror image (at least, she thought the Naruto was _really_ Naruto).

"We have to go back! Ino's hurt isn't she?! And Naruto! Damn it; tell me what's going on!"

He didn't answer her questions.

"They'll be fine."

"NO! Take me back right n—"

"You're in danger, don't you get it?!"

"News flash, I'm _always_ in danger."

Shikamaru growled.

"Would it _kill_ you to think about yourself once in a while?!"

Kagome held back a retort when she caught sight of his distracted gaze and simply stared up at the jounin with wide eyes.

"Ino was supposed to make a clone too, so we'd have more of 'you' running around, decoys, whatever. Now every few minutes Naruto will make another pair for diversion, spread 'you' out all over the place… I got Ino back inside the gates before I came out to get you, the medic-nin will tend to her."

He glared determinedly ahead, pulling her to a destination only he knew.

"They'll be fine."

A pause.

"Listen, we're doing this for _you_, so don't get any stupid ideas about turning back."

She looked at him quietly, murmuring softly without tearing her eyes off him to gauge his reaction.

"You're just as worried, Shikamaru."

Whether he was about to respond to that or not, Kagome would never know because three people emerged then, all cloaked in black and wearing masks.

Shikamaru immediately pulled into a stop and pushed the young woman behind him calmly as the trio of ANBU took a step closer.

"Shikamaru! What is the meaning of this?!"

He smirked and his hands met in a flurry of quick successive movements.

"Ready, Kagome?"

And they were engulfed in smoke. She clung to his shoulders like a life line as their surroundings blurred past. He was carrying her on his back the way Inuyasha did and she was overcome by the image of red cloth beneath her for a minute before it faded back into a dark shirt under an olive green vest.

"What did you do back there, I mean, the smoke, and I think you actually lost them—"

"A bluff, nothing more."

Before anything else registered he flung her into a tree. Kagome winced when her back rammed against the rough bark, glad that her great yellow pack cushioned the collision somewhat, as she slid down the trunk until she sat with a leg dangling from either side of a thick branch. Groaning, she opened her mouth to demand what was going on (she seemed to have been able to do nothing else so far) but the words were caught in her throat as the cloaked people appeared again.

Luckily it seemed that they did not see her as they stood opposite Shikamaru's solitary form at a distance, all of them facing him. She wished that they were not wearing masks so that she could at least try to figure out what they were thinking.

The jounin stared at the ANBU members, stifling a bored yawn.

"What do you want?"

"The girl, where's the girl?!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Like I would stand here if I knew."

He glanced towards a tree to his left out of the corner of his eyes. The ANBU noticed.

"That's not going to work. You _wanted_ us to see that and head there while you run to her in another direction!"

Shikamaru sighed and pressed his fingers together into a rough circle; the ANBU tensed.

"Don't even think about it! If it weren't for the fact you're a Konoha shinobi, we would have attacked by now! Hand over the girl, Shikamaru; she's not worth betraying your village."

His fingers loosened from their position and he held his hands up in a seal; the ANBU drew shuriken and leapt back.

"_Kage Nui_."

Shikamaru watched with detached interest as his shadow lengthened and shot towards the ANBU, all of then dodging every time it seemed like they would be pierced by it. The shuriken were released; one of the men formed rapid seals inscrutable to the eye.

"_Kageyose no Jutsu_."

"_Katon_:_ Housenka no Jutsu_!"

Shikamaru moved out of the path of the shuriken aimed at him effortlessly as the ANBUs' shadows rose from behind each member, startling them, and stabbing them from behind. He smirked inwardly with satisfaction as the figures fell to the earth below, exploding into poofs of smoke in midair as the substitution jutsus they placed on themselves took effect. He jumped, evading the balls of flame that soared towards him until suddenly sharp, intense pain shot throughout his body.

The dark-haired jounin looked down and gave a small flinch upon noticing the where the blades potruding from the trunk behind him had sliced various parts of his body, the blood quickly seeping from the wounds into his clothes. Damn, how could he have missed the shuriken…?! Tch, the last man's jutsu hid them with the fire; how could he have been so careless?!

A strangled yell drew his attention and his dark eyes momentarily met Kagome's frightened ones before he heard wind rush past him as his head fell against his chest, making him drop to his knees, and leaving him slumped heavily against the tree he stood in.

"Sh-Shikamaru!"

He bit back a groan and waved tiredly in her general direction. With a couple of strong leaps he appeared next to the anxious miko and swallowed a yelp of pain. She stood and made him lean on her so that his weight rested on her instead of his own feet. She forced his head, despite his indignant protests, into her lap as she lowered herself back down.

"No, no, don't close your eyes Shikamaru! Okay, okay, uh, _what should I do_?!"

The jounin rolled his eyes.

"How troublesome…"

He grunted as his vision clouded, making him blink furiously. Kagome panicked.

"I can do this; I can do this…_oh_… Okay, I have to stop the bleeding…"

She let a shriek escape as a cloaked and masked figure landed in front of them on light feet. Shikamaru scowled.

"Kagome, _run_!"

She glared down at him and screamed.

"I am not leaving you; who do you think I am?!"

Somehow, she missed him cringing as her screeched.

"Damn it, do as I say!"

"NO!"

The ANBU remained silent throughout the exchange. When a voice finally cut through the conversation, it was that of a woman's.

"At this rate, I don't even have to make a move and he'll be dead."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. He could identify that voice no matter how muffled it was.

"_You_."

Kagome knew that had a mask not hid the woman's face, she'd be able to see the ANBU sneer at this point.

"Me."

The voice sounded vaguely familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. The aura too was one she recognized yet for the life of her, she had no idea from where.

"Shikamaru, I should arrest you for treason."

The jounin's facial expression did not change from its fierce distaste. For a second Kagome was worried that his wounds were more painful than he'd let on (which they probably were) but realized that it was in response to the stranger's words.

"Wait! It's not his fault, it's mine! I-I tricked him, so please, you have to help him! He lost a lot of blood, please!"

The ANBU looked down at Shikamaru almost contemplatively, rubbing her chin as her eyes met his. She shrugged dismissively.

"I can't; I am not a medic-nin. Besides, the traitor deserves it."

"No, he didn't betray your village! Please, there must be something you can do!"

The woman squatted down on her haunches.

"There is…I can watch, then I will drag the both of you back to Hokage-sama."

Kagome yelled out in frustration.

"How can you! You're _heartless_!"

The ANBU tilted her head to the side.

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?"

She nodded at the jounin.

"He'll pass out soon and without medical attention, he'll die not long after that."

"No! He won't, I-I won't let him!"

"Sit around any longer and he might as well be dead, those look pretty deep…"

Kagome whimpered in the back of her throat. She just _had_ to stop the blood flow. She vaguely remembered what Naruto said about concentrating her energy into one spot in her palm and how Ino had done the same in order to heal. What had she to lose?

The woman stared impassively as the raven-haired girl collected chakra into her hand hesitantly, making it glow pink from the energy. Before it could be applied to the now unconscious Shikamaru, however, its strength dimmed.

Kagome bit her lip impatiently. Damn it! Why couldn't she focus her powers?! Did she _have_ to have a bow and arrow to concentrate the energy?! She tried again with similar results and forced herself to continue emptying her mind and drawing out her healing powers in an attempt to help the shinobi.

The ANBU observed Kagome's chakra flow with disapproval. Something was disrupting it… Her attention was captured by what appeared to be something _sucking_ her energy, preventing it from collecting like the girl wanted…and that _something_ was coming from…well…her chest. Before she could properly think it through, she reached out…and grabbed. A screech echoed all over the forest.

"What do you think you're _doing_?!"

The woman fell back, shocked, as Kagome folded her arms over her chest defensively, blushing profusely. Shikamaru grunted at the noise. The woman snapped at the young miko irritably, the girl's scream still resounding in her head.

"Oh, I've seen better…!"

When she pointed again, it was not without caution.

"There's something there that's stopping you from using your chakra."

Kagome blinked in surprise though the color in her cheeks didn't fade.

"What?!"

The miko had the distinct impression that a pair of eyes were rolling right now.

"Just take whatever you have hidden in there out!"

Kagome stared at the masked woman suspiciously but now was not the time for that; Shikamaru needed her… With a glance at the jounin, she reached in her shirt and withdrew the small bottle containing a few shards of the Shikon from within her bra and stuffed it into her backpack.

"Now, focus… Don't rush it; let it flow of its own accord or it won't submit to your will."

Kagome nodded and tried gathering her powers once more, passing her glimmering hand over the wounds. To her amazement, though the gashes didn't close, the bleeding did slow and eventually stop.

"You shouldn't hope for more. An amateur can't heal at a trained medic-nin's level, much less without proper tutelage."

The woman leaned forward and picked up Shikamaru's body effortlessly, throwing him over a shoulder like a sack of grain.

"Don't just sit there! You were the one asking me to get him back, aren't you scared that I might toss him over a cliff for his disloyalty?"

Kagome gazed up at the tall figure and picked up her yellow pack decisively.

"Lead the way."

The woman didn't move. Rather, she just eyed Kagome oddly through holes that prevented the ebony locked girl from looking right back. It was unnerving, not being able to glare back at someone.

"Is it worth it?"

The quiet question confused the young miko.

"What do you…mean?"

The ANBU shifted Shikamaru to emphasize her words.

"He risked his life to help you escape, along with Naruto and Ino. Now you're going to throw away their hard work and follow me back peacefully? Is it worth it?"

Kagome eyed the woman crossly. The ANBU lady was implying she was selfish, wasn't she?! Granted, she does run away from her problems…the very thought made Kagome deflate, but her resolve was not deterred.

"It's not so much as whether or not it's worth it. It's more of a whether or not I'm willing to do it."

She looked at the jounin's face, emotionless in his lifeless-like state.

"And I am."

Her soft words soon melted though as she glowered at the ANBU.

"But you better promise they would all be okay!"

The woman said nothing and stared at the girl for a long time, watching the unwavering seriousness in her expression. She nodded at last and turned away.

"Let's go then."

With a firm grip on Kagome's forearm, she left, pulling her captive with her.

Shizune stopped her pacing and hurried to the door as it opened, revealing a member of the ANBU entering the threshold.

"How'd it go? Are they alright?"

The ANBU unfastened her cloak and shook the hood off, freeing her long, blonde hair. She tossed the cloak onto her desk and slowly removed her mask, revealing bright hazel eyes and a secretive smile.

"I'm sure they'll be fine."

Tsunade walked over and sat behind her desk while Shizune folded up the ANBU cloak, clucking her tongue.

"I can't believe you let it get that far. Really! They're still kids!"

The blonde shrugged.

"They knew what they were getting into."

She leaned back so that only two of the chair's legs were planted on the ground.

"They're shinobi."

She picked up the file that sat on her desk…Kagome's file. Without a second thought, she let it slip from her fingers into the wastebasket under her writing table. Shizune smiled.

"She passed?"

Tsunade frowned.

"What are you talking about?!"

"Kagome! You're letting her go?"

The blonde picked up a scroll and unfurled it, eyes scanning the contents disinterestedly.

"Kagome? I don't know a Kagome."

Tsunade snuck a glance at her assistant, snorting when she noticed that a silly grin was continually directed at her.

Kagome closed the door behind her with a soft click and felt her heart drop into the lowest pit of her stomach. It was all her fault. They were all here because of her. How she wanted to cry, the pent up frustration, the guilt, the hopelessness…they were all getting to her.

She walked down the hall slowly, dragging her feet behind her. She should never have come here. If Ino and Naruto and, she swallowed with difficulty, _Shikamaru_ never met her, if none of them had ever laid their eyes on her, they would not be going through any of this…this…_this_.

The woman with the cloak and mask had brought Shikamaru in and handed him over to a group of 'medic-nin'. They had wheeled him into a room that she was not allowed to enter and, she assumed, healed him. Kagome had sat waiting outside the entire time until a nurse came out and told her she could go in and see him, but only a quick visit. When she asked about Ino and Naruto, she had been directed to two other rooms down the hall. She had just come from checking on Naruto, whom had not been in a condition better than Shikamaru's.

As the young woman turned and was nearing the exit of the building, her shoulder bumped into another woman's. Kagome looked up and apologized politely. The woman nodded quickly, absentmindedly, and pursed her lips worriedly.

Kagome eyed her curiously, noting the dark eyes that were scanning a map of the hospital on the opposite wall.

"Um, are you…lost?"

The woman looked at Kagome.

"Don't mind me, just looking for a room. My stupid son went and got his ass kicked…"

She gave a strained chuckle.

"Oh! Are you…well…you're Shikamaru's mother, right?"

The woman gave Kagome a small smile.

"Unfortunately."

"I-I…my name is Kagome Higurashi!"

The young miko bowed deeply.

"I am truly sorry."

Yoshino studied the fidgeting girl for a moment through narrowed eyes.

"So, you're the one that almost got my son killed."

Kagome stared at her shoes guiltily, gulping as she gave a small nod.

"I-I am really sorry, Nara-san, I had no idea that—"

Yoshino silenced her with a glare, crossing her arms stiffly over her chest.

"I hope you know that I don't like you."

Kagome bowed her head deeper, chewing harshly on her lower lip.

"But I want to."

The young miko looked up, confused, at the older woman. Yoshino had on an impassive face though her stance still radiated annoyance.

"Shikamaru must care about you somehow to have actually taken action, and since he does seem to trust you, I want to too."

"But—"

"And I _always_ get what I want, Kagome."

Kagome wasn't sure if that was meant as an assurance or a threat and could do no more than watch dumbfounded as the woman walked quickly out of sight.

Tsunade looked up when her door was slammed open, revealing a dark haired woman in the red and white garb of a miko. The Hokage sent her a cool smile.

"Hello Kikyo."

She stalked into the room, her sleeves billowing behind her almost angrily even if her face was as stoic as ever.

"Why is she not dead?"

Tsunade blinked up innocently.

"Who?"

"My reincarnation! She is still alive."

The blonde rested her elbow on her desk and propped her chin in a hand, quirking a thin brow at the uncharacteristic slip on the other woman's part. Kikyo rarely let her annoyance show.

"I assure you it is not out of lack of trying."

She glared at the miko.

"I have four ANBU squads and three highly valuable jounin in the medical building because of that girl. I am declaring this mission a failure. My sincere apologies."

Kikyo's cold eyes landed on the small smirk toying on Tsunade's lips and tensed in fury.

"Now if you would excuse me…"

Tsunade gestured to the door.

"I need to catch up on my files. They seem to be a bit outdated."

Once sure that Kikyo was out of hearing range, Shizune let out a laugh she had been holding in.

"Tsunade-sama! I knew she'd grow on you!"

The Hokage's smirk widened into a smug smile as the blonde silently congratulated herself, pleased with how everything turned out.

"Shizune?"

"Yes?"

Tsunade looked out her window towards a nearby structure, its many windows shining in the sun's rays.

"Shall we pay those idiots a visit?"

Shikamaru bolted upright and instantly regretted it. Damn his head hurt… He looked around slowly to prevent the room from spinning again and saw only white. The ceiling, the walls, the sheets on the bed… A frown marred his features. How did he—?

"Shikamaru!"

He winced at the shout and the _bang_ of the door bursting open. Naruto panted at the doorway, clearly upset at seeing his friend sitting in a hospital bed.

"Damn! You're here too!"

The blonde ran in and slammed the door close—earning a growl from Shikamaru—and locked it.

"We're all in here! Do you realize what this means?!"

The dark haired jounin's eyes widened as they met the frightened blue orbs of his fellow shinobi.

"They have Kagome…"

Ino blinked idly and her surroundings slowly came into focus. She could immediately tell that she was in the hospital.

"You're awake."

She turned to the side and saw her childhood friend and rival replacing the flowers on her bedside table smiling at her.

"Sakura…"

The pink-haired girl smirked.

"You're in for it now; you won't be able to leave for a while."

Ino scoffed.

"Like a few cuts and bruises could stop me."

Sakura looked down at the kunoichi curiously.

"What happened? You were in pretty bad shape when I got to you and I came as fast as I could too, after getting Shikamaru's message."

Ino tilted her head to the side.

"Shikamaru?"

Sakura nodded.

"Yeah, he left you with the guards and sent one of them to get me. The guards said that he left in a hurry though, didn't understand why he would leave you with them and not carry you to the medical building…"

Ino sat up in a flash, much to Sakura's displeasure.

"Lie back down! Do you _want_ to pull the stitches?! I just finished closing those cuts up! I'm warning you, tear them and I'll leave you to bleed, Ino-pig!"

Rather than listen to the directions, the blonde proceeded to stand and head out the open door. She was stopped by a strong hand gripping her elbow.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

Ino turned to stare into Sakura's stern green eyes anxiously.

"Are they here? They're not here are they?!"

"Who?"

Ino searched the other kunoichi's eyes for a clue as to her companions' and friends' welfare. She couldn't bring up Kagome for fear that if the girl _did_ escape, it would not last should Sakura speaks with Tsunade, but that wouldn't stop her from inquiring about the others.

"Naruto? Shikamaru? Are they—?"

Sakura looked away and the blonde froze, fearing the worst. They couldn't be…_dead_, could they?!

"Are they…hurt?"

The kunoichi smiled sadly.

"They've been tended to, if that's what's worrying you."

The blonde grabbed her friend's shoulders and shook her.

"Sakura, you have to take me to them, I need to see them!"

She blinked at Ino inquisitively.

"Why?"

Ino fell silent.

"I need to know how they are."

And what happened to Kagome…

Tsunade and Shizune drew to a stop. Kagome looked up, taken by surprise. The young miko simply stared at the two women facing her, separated by only a few yards. Tsunade spoke in a tone that held no room for argument.

"Join us. We're paying a visit to some of my jounin."

Kagome watched the pig-tailed woman apprehensively, remembering her to be the Hokage. Could she trust her?

Tsunade smirked at the discretion that reflected in the girl's eyes.

"We have things to discuss."

It hit her. Kagome stepped back involuntarily. The woman back in the forest…

"You're not regretting coming back, are you?"

Kagome scowled.

"I stand by my decisions."

The older woman nodded.

"Good."

Kagome turned and walked back into the medic building with the two women in front of her, suddenly even more worried than before. Would her friends be punished for their actions? She almost slapped herself for the stupid question. Of course they would, treason and betrayal had been mentioned back in the forest, hadn't it? Guilt settled in once more.

Naruto opened the door, the persistent knocking finally grating on his nerves. Ino stood on the other side, a harried expression on her face.

"Move! Let me in, before forehead-girl gets here!"

She didn't even wait for an answer; she pushed her way in, locking the door behind her.

"Augh! What happened to you two?! Oh no, oh no…"

She tugged at her bangs.

"Kagome! What happened to _Kagome_?!"

The silence that answered her was frightening; she paled at the thought of what could have occurred. The trio simply assumed the worst. Rapid pounding pulled them from their increasingly depressing thoughts.

"Shikamaru! Open this door right now!"

Naruto and Ino turned, sending the jounin amused looks. He cradled his head in his arms and moaned in evident misery.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

The door flew open…and off its hinges. The three of them watched baffled as it sailed across the room, the fact that Tsunade was standing in the entryway registering only after it landed with a crash. Naruto gulped.

"You three have a lot of nerve, trying to lock us out."

The blonde walked in with her hands on her hips, followed timidly by Shizune, Yoshino, and, to their amazement, Kagome. The young miko smiled apologetically and bowed to them. Tsunade, however, had eyes only for the jounin. Her hazel orbs flashed murderously.

"You should all be in bed! I don't have enough medic-nin to spare to heal you very few minutes!"

She walked up to Naruto and picked him up by the collar with ease, holding him up off the floor and shaking him roughly.

"I don't care if your energy and health replenishes itself unnaturally quickly either! Don't go around disturbing my patients!"

She dropped him unceremoniously into a heap on the floor.

"What do you have to say for yourself?!"

A hush fell over the room as all its occupants stared at the Hokage warily. Tsunade snorted.

"I should have the three of you jailed as soon as you get out of here…"

The women that had come in behind her opened their mouths to protest.

"…but since I have no record of a Kagome Higurashi, much less record of you deliberately helping her escape after a mission was placed on her, I seem to have no reason to seize you for treason."

The blonde inspected her nails absentmindedly.

"However, since my ANBU did report civil disobedience, I am forced to inflict _some_ form of punishment."

She eyed the teenagers around her coolly.

"You—"

Kagome blinked at the finger pointed at her.

"—need to set up a file with me. I have no record of your existence whatsoever, girl, and if you are going to stay in Konoha, I will need the paperwork."

Kagome nodded mutely at the authoritative tone.

"And you three—"

Her finger was still pointed at the blue-gray eyed girl.

"—are to stay with her at all times. She is not to take a step out of wherever she decides to stay without one of you accompanying her, understood?! I don't care if she decides to take a moonlit stroll at four in the morning, one of you, I don't care which one, _will_ rush to her side."

Kagome tapped her foot impatiently. Tsunade lifted a brow.

"Yes?"

"You honestly think I want them stalking me everywhere I go?!"

The blonde flipped her hair over a shoulder and walked over to the fallen door, nudging it with her foot.

"I really don't give a damn what you want. I still don't trust you, I'll have you know, and I intend to do anything necessary to keep you under my watch."

She stood, giving the door up as a lost cause.

"Now, who better to send on a 24/7 surveillance mission than them?"

She smirked and gestured for Shizune to leave with her.

"I'll see you in my office, kid. As for you three, I hope you recover fast. Kami knows who I can have tailing her while you're out!"


End file.
